The New Jedi Order
by Roque Amadi
Summary: AU - Obi-wan and Yoda don't go into hiding after Sidious takes over. They start to rebuild the Jedi order in secret and to find all the survivors. Obi-wan takes a new apprentice: ObiOC. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

It always annoyed me that the Jedi just go into hiding after Sidious takes over, so here I'm hypothesising about what might have happened if they tried to rebuild the order in secret and start the rebellion a lot faster. It will be Obi-centric and some romance will develop slowly.

Please point out anything I'm forgetting about and let me know what direction you'd like the story to go or what you think should happen. Hope you like it!

Don't own Obi-Wan. Kinda wish I did.

* * *

"We're close."

"Shall I set you down here?"

"Yes."

Obi-Wan stood in the cramped confines of the cockpit and stood by the hatch as Bail Organa manoeuvred the ship towards the ground.

"The ship won't last long in this weather. I'll circle back to those rocks and try to find some shelter. The last thing we want is to all be stuck out here." He glanced back at Obi-Wan, who was pulling on a helmet with a visor and scarf to protect his face from the snow. "Be careful. Humans aren't meant to survive in climates like this. I'll pick you up in ten minutes."

"Alright." The hatch opened and a blast of ice and snow blew in. Bail had lowered the ship as close to the ground as he could, and Obi-Wan jumped down from a few metres up. Once he was sure of his footing, he waved to Bail, and the ship disappeared quickly into the snow, taking the light with it. Obi-Wan stood for a moment in the freezing darkness trying to focus and find where that shimmer in the Force had come from. He knew it was close… Ah. It was below him.

His hands already stiffening up from the cold, he fumbled for his lightsaber through thick gloves. He was half afraid it wouldn't work in a temperature of less than -50 degrees. However, the blue glow appeared and started to melt the snow in front of his feet. He pushed it out of the way as it softened, working down half his height until he came to the rock surface. He could have tried to find the real entrance to the cave, but there was no time, so he plunged his lightsaber straight into the rock and heaved on it, slicing across until a section collapsed down into the cave underneath.

Then he switched the blade off and dropped through the gap.


	2. Chapter 2

Silence. It was shocking to be away from the howling winds so suddenly, and for a moment he felt deaf. He was very close now. Somewhere nearby…

Suddenly, a blue line appeared in the thick darkness and his eyes squinted automatically. With most of his senses effectively deadened he let the Force guide his movement as he ignited his blade and blocked the attack over his head, and he was suddenly face to face with the disturbance in the Force.

"M-Master Kenobi?" A girl, human, her hair traditionally short for a female and with a braid behind her right ear. A Padawan. Obi-Wan felt the slightest touch of disappointment when he didn't even recognise her.

She deactivated her lightsaber, but he held his aloft to cast some light around the cave. He smiled as convincingly as he could. "The one and only. Is there anything you need? We should hurry." He could make out a bundle of rags in one corner that didn't look nearly warm enough for these conditions, and in another corner a pile of animal bones. Well, she's very self-sufficient, he thought.

"Are – are you here to rescue me?" He looked back at her, trying to make her out in the gloom. Did he hear incorrectly, or was there a note of sarcasm in her voice? That was unexpected.

"Yes."

"But… How did you know I was here?"

"I felt your presence. Now come on, we haven't much time."

It wasn't until she turned her back to gather whatever belongings she had that he noticed her stark thinness, and it occurred to him that her steady voice and apparent confidence might just be a show. She must be at least 23, yet she was still a Padawan, and her Master was probably dead.

When she returned to where he stood beneath the hole in the roof, he decided not to ask her if she could make the jump herself. Instead, he simply took hold of her waist and propelled them both up through the gap before she could protest. He could already hear Bail's ship returning and he placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her down the slope. The ship loomed out of the fog, casting a pool of light over them. As soon as the hatch opened Obi-Wan jumped again, and within seconds the three of them were heading back up into the atmosphere, away from the storm.

"You found someone!" Bail exclaimed, glancing back as he piloted the ship.

"Yes, I - " There was a thump. Obi-Wan turned and the girl was sprawled on the floor, unconscious. He quickly knelt to check her pulse. Now that he could see her plainly, he noticed that her clothes were completely inadequate for snow – she had only the very basics of her Jedi uniform, with an undershirt and tunic. Her tabards and obi were gone, and a thin belt held the ragged tunic together.

"Exposure. Just from that minute or two outside."

"I warned you."

Obi-Wan smiled faintly. "Yes, Bail. Have you any medical supplies?"

"The compartment to your left."

Bail sighed in relief as he brought the ship into orbit. He hadn't been entirely sure she'd hold together. "Are we going home now, Obi-Wan?"

The Jedi paused in unpacking the kit. "Home?"

"We may as well call it that. Nowhere else qualifies anymore."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Well then. Let's go home."


	3. Chapter 3

Calraen woke, mildly surprised she wasn't dead.

Also surprising was the lack of ice covering her or the uncontrollable shivering that usually accompanied waking up. She opened her eyes and remembered having fallen to the floor, because she was still there. However, she was wrapped in a cloak and something was pillowing her head from the metal floor of the cockpit. She looked over to the controls, where two men sat with their backs to her. The sounds of a ship in hyperspace – that deep thrum and a few faint beeps from the instruments – was comforting in its familiarity and she wanted to drift off again. She shook her head to clear it, and tried to sit up.

The unexpected effort extracted a grunt from her and the two men looked around. That's right, she remembered now. The famous Obi-Wan Kenobi had arrived to rescue her.

"Easy, now," he warned, stepping over to her.

"I'm fine," she muttered, drawing the cloak back over herself.

Obi-Wan studied her for a moment, than said, "Well, you must be much more resilient than me. I thought that cold would be the death of me."

He had meant to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

Instead, the girl turned her head away and tugged the cloak up to her chin again.

Obi-Wan sat down with his back to the wall behind her.

"May I ask your name?"

She turned back to him, composed. "Calraen Onasi."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi." He held out his hand but she didn't take it.

"I know who you are."

Her voice was accusing, but he didn't take the bait. He got the feeling it would come out sooner rather than later, anyway.

He picked up the medical kit. "I need to check your stats."

She held out her hand for it. "I can check them myself."

"Okay…" As he passed it to her, his finger brushed hers, and though she tried to disguise it, he felt her jolt. Acting oblivious, he stood and returned to the co-pilot's seat. There was no point pushing the girl for answers now. He would leave it to Yoda to decide what to do.

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

It was many hours later when they reached their destination. The planet had no name, because it was uncharted according to all the records they could find. It was far beyond the outer rim and beyond the sphere of intelligent life in the universe – as far as they knew, anyway. Yoda had known of its existence, and Obi-Wan hadn't seen fit to ask him how.

It had been over a month since the Jedi massacre, Anakin's betrayal, and Padme's death, but to Obi-Wan it already seemed a lifetime ago. In that time, the few Jedi who had survived and their few friends had relocated to the planet, set up extensive surveillance networks to prevent being found, and started to build something more than makeshift shelters on the surface. The inhabitants of the planet totalled nine: Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke and Leia, Bail Organa, his wife, and three of their trusted friends from Alderaan - Jacum, Jama and Tarie. Now there were ten.

The ship touched down in a clearing among the trees. The planet had extremely varied terrain, but the Jedi had chosen to settle in a thickly forested area that would afford them further disguise if required.

Obi-Wan offered his hand to Calraen but again she ignored it and got to her feet herself. He noted that she kept the cloak wrapped around herself, but then, she probably hadn't realised that it was his. When they disembarked, Yoda and Bail's wife Breha were waiting to greet them.

"Master Yoda!" Calraen exclaimed, rushing forward with renewed energy. She bowed to him. "I'm glad to see you survived."

"As I am to see you," Yoda replied. "Done well you have, Obi-Wan, to have found Padawan Onasi."

Obi-Wan could sense another curt reply coming, so he quickly cut in: "Oh, I hardly did anything. She was doing quite well on her own."

Yoda took this in with a humph. "Nevertheless, Padawan, I sense you have little strength left in you. To the medical centre we go."

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

Later in the afternoon, Obi-Wan was with Jacum Quen, one of Bail's close friends from Alderaan. The man also happened to be an architect, and was overseeing the construction of a new Jedi temple. He was discussing his plans with Obi-Wan.

"Down the bottom of the slope will be the kitchens," he said, pointing from where they stood on the top of a hill. "And they will connect on one side to the Jedi quarters and on the other side to the medical wing. That way both are close to the landing pad. I'll build a secret tunnel underground from the quarters to the pad, in case we are discovered."

"You've certainly planned for any number of dire situations."

"Well, it won't seem so dire when it's finished."

Obi-Wan sighed and sat down on the grassy slope. "You're right. And you have made a lot of progress already – the medical centre and the sleeping quarters have saved us from a lot of trouble."

"Well, with hardly any workforce, I'm trying to build by necessity. Even though I'd like to create a grand hall like you had back on Coruscant – well, one day." He laughed and rolled up his plans as Obi-Wan's comm. beeped. Yoda was summoning him.

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

"Handle the situation well, you did," Yoda announced as Obi-Wan stepped through the door into his quarters. "Though much to sort out between you and Calraen, there still is."

"…Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied hesitantly, wondering where this would lead. He sat down cross-legged on the floor opposite Yoda. "Is she alright?"

"Humph. In many ways, no, not yet. But she will be."

"Well, that's good."

"Your help, she needs."

Obi-Wan froze. "What do you mean?"

Yoda gazed at him seriously. "Know what I mean, you do. What is this fear in you?"

Obi-Wan quickly composed himself, silencing his emotions. "If you mean for me to train her, Master – why, surely she's old enough to take the trials anyway? And she clearly dislikes me."

"25 years old she is, but ready to face the trials, she is not. For that, she needs your help. And her help, you need."

"_Her_ help?"

Yoda shook his head. "Named your fear must be, Obi-Wan, before it can be banished. Name this fear!"

Obi-Wan sighed and rubbed his forehead. "It's not so much a fear, Master, as a reluctance… My last attempt at training an apprentice didn't turn out so well…"

"A fear of failure this is, young Obi-Wan."

Though he found it slightly amusing to be referred to as 'young', Obi-Wan knew Yoda was right. He usually was. But it was so soon. He needed time to put Anakin behind him and figure out how to start afresh. As though he had read his thoughts, Yoda said, "Not immediately will this arrangement begin. Get to know her first, you must. When right the time is, ask permission to train her you will."

"Permission?" Obi-Wan exclaimed, remembering with a very slight bitterness the beginning of his own apprenticeship, when he had stooped to practically begging Qui-Gon to train him. He was brought back to earth as Yoda's stick connected sharply with his head.

"Argh!"

"Entertain these negative thoughts you should not, Obi-Wan. Recapture the wit of your youth you must, if to succeed as a Master you will."

"Yes. Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied as sincerely as he could, standing up and out of reach of the cane. "Thankyou. I will... see you later."

Yoda watched him leave thoughtfully. Obi-Wan would turn out alright. Calraen was just the kind of shock he needed.

* * *

Yes, I realise I stole the surname Onasi. But I figure Carth Onasi was alive like a whole 4000 years before, so there can't be too many problems with inventing a great, great, great, great granddaughter, right? Lol.

Review me!


	4. Chapter 4

"Master Yoda… what is this?"

Obi-Wan poked at the bizarre piece of meat on his plate. "It looks like… an ear."

Yoda scowled. "Caught it in the forest I did, and eat it you will, or go hungry!"

Obi-Wan picked up his fork with a grimace, glancing quickly at Calraen who was sitting opposite him, wondering if she'd found the exchange at all amusing. No luck. If he could just see that she was capable of smiling, he might feel more comfortable with the prospect of training her. But she was so… _serious_.

All but the twins were seated around a table between the two buildings. Dinner was well before sunset because they didn't have the power for artificial lighting. Obi-Wan knew his break on-planet wouldn't last long. He wanted to have them generating their own power as soon as possible, because the cell they used for absolute necessities wouldn't last much longer. A solar panel would be their best option. He could think of a few planets where he would be able to obtain one without much difficulty... A voice cut into his thoughts.

"It is lucky that Master Yoda is able to catch wild animals for us," Bail's wife Breha said serenely. "Otherwise I'm not sure what we'd eat."

"I've started some crops on the other side of the hill," Jacum informed Bail and Obi-Wan. "Since you've been gone, we've made quite a lot of progress. But it will take some time for them to become established."

"What have you planted?" Bail asked.

Obi-Wan tuned out, watching Calraen out of the corner of his eye. She had her eyes fixed on her food which she was eating very slowly. Steeling himself, he took a bite out of the strange meat, chewed it for a few seconds, then gagged.

She glanced up at him as he stifled a choking sound, one hand covering his mouth as casually as he could manage while his eyes watered.

Once he'd forced himself to swallow, she said, "Try smaller pieces covered with the sauce. It disguises the taste."

"Oh, thankyou," Obi-Wan said between gulps of water. "How do you know that?"

She shrugged, her eyes returning to her plate. Obi-Wan pushed his fringe back and wondered if she'd always been like this, or if it was just a result of what had happened to her since the Sith takeover.

He was at a loss for what to try next, but then Yoda turned from the conversation between Bail and Jacum to them.

"How feel you, Padawan?"

"Better, Master."

"Appreciate, did you, the attentions of our medical droid?"

"Yes. I wasn't expecting you to have one."

"Obi-Wan you have to thank. A great effort he made to bring one here, as he considered it the most important thing to acquire."

Yoda had put it that way on purpose. Calraen was forced to raise her eyes to Obi-Wan again. "Thank you, Master Kenobi," she muttered sullenly.

Obi-Wan waved his hand dismissively. "I was concerned that it would not be competent, it's quite an old model. Did it seem to know what it was doing?"

Another shrug. "I believe so."

Silence again on that end of the table. Obi-Wan glanced at Yoda again, but the little Master had turned back to the others. He wanted Obi-Wan to do this on his own.

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

"Master, please, give me somewhere to begin. She won't even talk to me!"

The light was just beginning to fade as Obi-Wan walked along the forest's edge with Yoda. His stomach growled softly because he hadn't been able to bring himself to eat any more of the ear-meat, and he felt certain that Yoda noticed it.

"Know little more about her experience do I. She will not confide much to me."

"What _has_ she told you?"

"On the planet where you found her, a mission she was completing with her Master. Killed, her Master was by the clone troopers, but she managed to escape. That is all she has told me, but know I do that she was not so sad and serious when I last saw her. Happened to her, something terrible has, and fear I do to guess at the possibilities."

There were five small rooms allocated to sleeping, though Jacum planned for them to become storage when more of the complex was complete. Obi-Wan didn't hesitate to blame Yoda completely when he found that Calraen had been allocated to share his room, but then he supposed it was the only place available.

He came in when it was dark and saw she was already rolled in the pile of blankets that passed as a bed and breathing steadily enough that she must be sleeping. He was glad, for it saved him much awkwardness. Sitting down on his bedroll, he pulled off his boots and tunics and was glad to finally lie down.

It may not be much, but Bail was right. This place was home.

* * *

Yes, I realise not much happened in this chapter. Tough. (lol - needed to set up for next chapter).


	5. Chapter 5

Bright red lava flows. Lightsabers clashing together. Clone troopers. Falling. Death.

"Anakin!"

Obi-Wan sat up suddenly, completely disoriented in the darkness of the room. As he came back to himself, he focused on the girl holding the hilt of her lightsaber. Then he noticed the sharp pain in his head.

"…Did you hit me with your lightsaber?"

She sat back on her heels. "You wouldn't wake up."

Obi-Wan touched a hand to his hairline where the skin was split, but not bleeding. "Ow…" He looked around for his clothes and his own lightsaber. "What's happened?" he asked, starting to get up, when he realised Calraen was climbing back into her own bed.

"Nothing."

"…Then why did you hit me?"

"To stop you waking the twins next door."

Obi-Wan frowned, his hand dropping from his forehead. "Waking the twins…?"

"You were yelling."

Obi-Wan thought back to the fading nightmare. It was horrible to relive all those events, but he had never before been one to yell out in his sleep. Glancing down at his chest, he realised he was covered in sweat. He gathered his things and stood up, wondering if he should say anything further to Calraen, but she seemed to be asleep already. He left the room.

Outside in the cool night air, Obi-Wan pulled his boots and tunics on and clipped his lightsaber to his belt. His stomach was almost eating itself, and since there was no chance of him getting any more sleep this night, he decided to take the menu into his own hands. He started towards the forest and was nearly at the tree line when someone called his name.

He paused, and Calraen caught up to him.

"Are you going hunting?"

"How did you know that?"

She shrugged dismissively. "I'll come too."

Obi-Wan started to refuse, then wondered why. Was he trying to protect her? She was probably more experienced at hunting wild animals than he was.

"I'd appreciate your help."

"Then let's go."

She moved ahead of him into the murky darkness, and he followed. Relaxing, he let the sounds of the forest come to him and started to pick out which ones belonged to animals they might be able to eat. Before he'd discovered anything substantial, Calraen stopped suddenly in front of him and he walked into her.

"Shh," she said quietly, indicating that they crouch down.

"What is it?" Obi-Wan whispered, casting his awareness around them. He hadn't noticed anything…

She pointed to their left, and then he felt it. Peering into the darkness, he thought he made out two yellow eyes watching them. It was a large mammal, but it had been so still and quiet that he hadn't thought it anything significant. How Calraen knew it was there was beyond him.

She had her lightsaber ready and was about to move. He put a hand on her arm and once again she jerked slightly, then waved him away. "I'll take it."

"Okay…" He leant on one knee and watched as she prepared to leap. In a flash of light her lightsaber went flying through the underbrush and sliced the creature, but it didn't kill it straight away. The thing leapt forward, all teeth and claws, but she retrieved her blade and stabbed at it. The thing let out a wail before it died.

Alarm bells started ringing in Obi-Wan's head.

"Got it," Calraen said with satisfaction, pushing the dead thing over with her toe as she clipped her lightsaber back to her belt. "Looks fiercer than it is, like most beasts."

"Calraen," Obi-Wan said, waving a hand at her to shush, listening carefully.

"Got some meat on it at least. Looks like it might taste alright."

"Calraen, wait."

"What?" she asked with some annoyance.

"I think we need to get out of here." A wail sounded nearby, similar to the one the dead creature had made. "Let's go, now!"

They ran back towards the forest edge, both now sensing the beasts closing in on them from all sides. Obi-Wan knew they wouldn't make it. Lightsaber in hand, he yelled "Get down!" and spun just as one of the black cat-like creatures sprung at him. He sliced it cleanly in half and turned back, noticing Calraen _had_ done as he said, but was now drawing her lightsaber and rising slowly. They were completely surrounded. Black creatures emerged from the trees in every direction.

"Master Yoda didn't mention this," Obi-Wan commented wryly.

"Must have slipped his mind," Calraen replied. It occurred to him that it was the first time she'd said anything lightly. He would think about that later.

"We have to work towards the edge. Over there," he nodded to his right. "If we stay back-to-back, we should be okay."

"Alright."

"Now!"

They engaged half of the circle each and started moving away. Obi-Wan found it hard to ignore the other half, not knowing Calraen's capabilities with a lightsaber, but he was never attacked from behind and that told him enough. There was quite a large pack of them, and as soon as one fell another would take its place. However, they reached the tree line and Obi-Wan yelled to run, hoping the beasts wouldn't be game to emerge from the cover of darkness. The sun was rising.

He ran, covering her back, and most of the beasts did remain under the trees. One broke cover and ran after them, so he turned and cut it down, then heard a gasp from behind him and spun back. Another one had also run out and past him while he dealt with the first one, and it was latched on to Calraen's back.

"Blast it," he muttered, dashing forwards to cut the thing down. It fell away, dead, but its claws left long gouges through her tunic that quickly stained red. Obi-Wan for a second returned to the arena on Geonosis, where Padme had sustained a similar injury. He hadn't been able to help her.

Coming back to the present, he caught Calraen by the elbow as she stumbled, then sensed her black out for a few seconds from the pain. She fell forwards against his chest and he steadied her, checking the gouges to see if any of them would be serious. The one on the right of her lower back was the worst, so he pressed a hand to it to slow the bleeding.

He stood there for a few seconds in the dim light until she came around, and then in an unexpected flurry of movement, he was dealt blinding white pain himself. She slapped him across the face at the same time as she mercilessly kneed him in the groin, and he doubled over. She did too, the movement pulling at her cuts, but she backed away from him quickly.

"Wh-what do you think you're doing?" she yelled.

"You blacked out!" Obi-Wan wheezed, trying to put the pain aside and stand straight.

"Get away from me!" she exclaimed, limping away and turning towards the buildings. He wondered if he was missing something in this situation. What had made her react so strongly? Was it simply that he had touched her?

He closed his eyes and released the pain to the Force, then looked around in the growing light. Despite everything, there was now enough meat to last them for a week. He started back towards the trees, picking up the bodies as he went.

And he tried to figure out exactly what he'd done wrong.

* * *

Hope you guys liked that chapter and thanks to my reviewers. If anyone has any thoughts on the characters, let me know - I'm hoping they're believable and non-Mary Sue :)


	6. Chapter 6

Just a note; I'm assuming none of the characters know that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker yet. I'm not sure if that's canon or not - as far as I remember in episode III, Obi-Wan thought he'd killed him. Please enlighten me if I'm wrong...

* * *

Obi-Wan delivered the meat to Jama, Jacum's wife, who was in charge of the food. She was still getting used to preparing meat from scratch but was grateful for the boost in her dwindling supplies. He left her to it and ducked into the tent that was attached to the side of the quarters where Bail had set up his surveillance and communications equipment. Jacum was in the process of building him something more permanent, but for now the tent had to do.

"How's it going today?"

"We're safe. No one's going to find us here."

"And the search…?"

Bail was constantly scanning news reports from the holonet for any sign of other surviving Jedi.

"Nothing conclusive, but the Emperor keeps mentioning to the senate that any one who is hiding Jedi will be severely punished. I take that to mean that he believes there are more survivors than just you and Yoda. And the girl."

"But he will be most interested in Master Yoda and I." Obi-Wan scratched his beard. "And this apprentice, Darth Vader? Do we know anything more about him?"

"No," Bail sighed. "He can't have just come out of nowhere, but I can't find anything about his origins. I'll keep searching, Obi-Wan." A pause. "So – what exactly happened this morning?"

Obi-wan sat heavily on an upturned drum. "I don't know. I went out to hunt before dawn and Calraen came with me. She got injured and when I tried to help her she yelled at me and ran off. I'll go and see how she is now."

"At least your medical droid is being put to work," Bail commented wryly.

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

"What in the blasted universe do you want?"

Calraen stepped out of the medical centre into the open to find that Obi-Wan was leaning against the wall waiting for her. At the table between them and the next building, Jama was preparing the cat-like creatures for cooking, so Calraen stepped around the other side of the building and lowered her voice. "What part of 'get away from me' didn't you understand?"

Obi-Wan followed her as she marched away from him, down towards the trees. "I just want to sort this out. What do you have against me?"

"That would involve speaking to you."

"Calraen, listen, don't act like a teenager. Are you a Jedi or not?"

Silence. She reached the tree line and stood with her back to him. Then, in a small voice, "Not."

He softened his tone. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a Padawan without a Master. So I'm not a Jedi. I'm nothing."

Obi-Wan wondered if this would be a good time to offer to train her, but he could sense there was a lot more coming. Instead, he prompted, "If you're not Jedi, why would we have brought you here?"

"I don't know. You'd have done better to leave me in the cave."

"Calraen, I'm sorry about your Master, but-"

"You're sorry. _You're_ sorry about my Master? It's your fault she's dead!" Now she spun to face him, livid and hurt at the same time.

"My fault…?"

"You're the one who trained that Anakin Skywalker," she spat the name. "And he grew up and became a Sith, and if it weren't for him we wouldn't be here in the middle of nowhere with the Jedi Temple in smoking ruins and a Sith Lord ruling the universe!" Obi-Wan took a step back. "Because of you," she poked him hard in the chest, "my Master is dead along with every other Jedi! It's your fault and I'll never forgive you, so just leave me alone!" She turned to go, then turned back to add, "and stop acting like you're so innocent and distraught with your ridiculous dreams – you should have thought harder about the consequences when you decided training a boy from the age of nine was a good idea!"

With that, she strode away, leaving him there. Obi-Wan put one hand to his face and the other out to lean on a tree for support.

_Because of me…_ He lowered himself to the ground. Yoda had been trying to tell him otherwise, but in his heart he knew she was right. He was the one who had agreed to train Anakin, against the wishes of the council and his own better judgement. But he couldn't have put aside Qui-Gon's last request. He hadn't been ready to be a Master, just out of Apprentice-hood himself. Of course he had gone wrong. He'd had no idea what he was doing at the time. He'd been such a fool…

"A bad choice made is only the fault of the person who made it."

Obi-Wan looked up as the little Master approached out of the trees. "Made no bad choices have you, Obi-Wan. But, bound you have been, by the bad choices of others." He tapped Obi-Wan lightly on the head with his cane. "Listen do you to some Padawan of twenty-five short years of experience, or to my eight hundred?"

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, steadying his breathing. "Yours, Master," he mumbled to his hands.

Yoda grumbled. "Speak with the truant Padawan I will."

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

Calraen was digging a hole.

The bacta had sealed the cuts and the pain was almost gone, so when she had wandered behind the two buildings and found Jacum laying the foundations for the third building, she had offered to help him. She was quite broad-shouldered for a girl, and very athletic, so she didn't mind the physical challenge. She eyed the thick pole of timber the lay alongside the hole and that would eventually be dropped in to it, and asked, "So you don't have any machinery to help you?"

"Not yet. Hopefully we will soon."

"How did you get this?"

Jacum pushed sweaty dark hair out of his eyes and leant on his shovel. "Well, I got a saw, and I went into the forest, and I picked a tree…"

"All by yourself?"

He shrugged. "Yoda moved it here. But otherwise, yes. There's no other way."

"Have you ever built something like this before?" She asked, rather impressed.

"No. Back at home I designed the buildings and oversaw the construction, so I knew how it worked, but I'd never had to actually do it myself."

A voice spoke behind them.

"And by trying to do something he had seen others do and thought he understood, learned he did that much more to it there was."

Calraen narrowed her eyes at the little green alien while Jacum laughed.

"Very true. Now I understand the difficulties my builders faced, when I used to just tell them to get on with it!"

"Do you not agree, Calraen, that difficult it is to understand something when done it yourself you have not, hmm?" He chuckled. "Training an apprentice, for example."

Calraen had to resist rolling her eyes. "Master, if you're trying to make me apologise to Kenobi-"

"To make you do anything, I do not want. Rather to make you understand. Your judgements, ill-founded as they are, have great power over one stricken with grief. Given that power, choose to support him, or to destroy him will you?"

"Master, I-" she jumped out of the way of his stick as he aimed it at her shins.

"Not finished am I! Learn you must, Padawan, to refrain from dealing out judgement before understanding you have. Bear no blame for what happened should Obi-Wan, though feel it he does."

"Yes, Master."

"Understand, do you?"

"Yes, Master."

Yoda grunted. "Then today help Jacum you will. Dig these holes."

"Yes, Master."

Calraen pushed the shovel into the ground again as Yoda turned away. She trusted him completely, though she still found it hard to let go of her resentment for Obi-Wan Kenobi. She had been blaming him for a long time, and now she hadn't exactly got off to the best start with him. But if Yoda said he was innocent, she had to believe it. And even though Yoda hadn't told her to, she probably would have to apologise.

_Blast_. How embarrassing.


	7. Chapter 7

"Master Obi-Wan, Padawan Calraen, a mission I have for you."

The two Jedi looked up from their food in dismay. They had just sat down to lunch.

"You mean – the two of us?" Calraen asked hesitantly.

Yoda ignored the question and continued. "Bail informs me that we run low on power. Afford to lose our security systems we cannot, therefore you must find a renewable power source for us to use more permanently."

Obi-Wan nodded. He had known he wouldn't be here for long. But the idea of Calraen tagging along…

"Master, I believe I-"

"Organised, Bail has for Captain Antilles to meet with you on Kavara. Quite close, it is, and not under Imperial control yet. Pass on, he will, some requested supplies as well as some credits, because the power source you must purchase by yourselves."

There was silence before both muttered "Yes, Master" with reluctance. Calraen repressed a sigh as she stole a glance at Obi-Wan, noting that he was no more thrilled than she was.

During the morning Breha had constructed a playpen beside the table and Calraen chewed her food slowly while watching the twins roll around in it. They were still too small to walk or even crawl. She wondered what kind of children they would be when they were older, having grown up so detached from the real world – then she realised they would be the same as any other Jedi. They would have no less exposure than she did growing up in the Temple.

Tarie, the other woman from Alderaan, arrived at the table late. She was in charge of tools and clothing for the group and so was possibly the most busy. Luckily, she'd managed to bring a large amount of supplies with her from Alderaan initially. It was thanks to her that the twins were clothed.

She had a beige bundle under her arm and as she arrived she handed it across to Obi-Wan.

"New tunics and pants – you'd better get changed and give me your old ones, they're probably stinking." Tarie was brisk and extremely organised. Calraen hadn't seen much of her at all because she spent almost all her time with her sewing equipment inside.

"Thank you very much," Obi-Wan said, bowing slightly as he took them.

"You'll have to wait on socks and undergarments I'm afraid, I have more important things on my list." Calraen didn't miss Obi-Wan's blush at having his underwear discussed in public. He started to sit down again but the woman clapped at him. "I said you need to get changed, now! I have the water hot!"

Apologetic, Obi-Wan muttered an 'excuse me' and trotted over to the buildings as Tarie sat down to eat. Calraen caught Yoda's eye and saw him hide a grin as well. She looked back as she realised she was being spoken to.

"I'll need to get your measurements after this as well," Tarie said. Calraen wasn't too sure about that. She'd rather stay in her old smelly clothes.

"Going on a mission, Calraen is," Yoda spoke up. "Wait until she returns, it must."

Tarie sighed. "Very well. Will she be able to pick up any materials for me?"

"Possibly," Yoda replied, glancing at Calraen with dancing eyes. "Give her a list, you might."

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

Calraen carried a bundle of papers past Obi-Wan onto the ship, grumbling loudly. One of the pages flew away from her and Obi-Wan caught it.

"You might need this."

She rolled her eyes. "I really don't think I will." Even so, she snatched the paper from him and continued up the ramp. He turned back to Yoda.

"Be careful you must, Obi-Wan. It is safe nowhere."

"I will, Master. We'll be back soon."

"May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan bowed. "And you."

It wasn't long before the ship was in hyperspace. The trip would take a few hours but they should arrive with plenty of time to meet their contact, the Captain Antilles. Obi-Wan stood to move to the back of the ship.

"I'm going to meditate for a while. Alert me if anything is wrong."

Calraen was hunched in the co-pilot's seat, cleaning her lightsaber with the sleeve of her tunic.

"Yes, Master Kenobi," she said quietly. She hadn't even looked at him since leaving the planet. He paused, his hand on the back of her seat.

"Please, call me Obi-Wan," he said gently.

Finally, she looked up at him. Her cheeks darkened. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was wrong."

After a pause, Obi-Wan stepped over to the back wall and sat down with his legs crossed. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes and Calraen turned back to the viewport. Then, hardly audible, she heard his voice: "No. You weren't."

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

"Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan, wake up, we have a problem."

His eyes felt glued together. Coming to his senses, he realised he'd fallen asleep and was slumped against the wall. Picking himself up and rubbing his neck, he stumbled forwards to the pilot's seat.

"What is it?"

"We're losing fuel."

Obi-Wan scanned the instruments as he sat down heavily. "But I checked before we left," he said quietly. "We should have enough to make it."

"Apparently not."

He got up again, his alertness returning, and stepped over to a hatch on the back wall. He pulled it open and examined the terminal there.

After a minute, Calraen heard a groan and glanced back.

"What?"

"There's a leak. Something must have chewed it on-planet. How could I have missed that?"

She turned back to her instruments. "Well, we still might make it. If we come out of hyperspace just outside the atmosphere we should be able to use the last bit to push us through."

"And then hope to land somewhere soft."

They glanced at each other.

"Well, we have parachutes…" she suggested, but Obi-Wan was already shaking his head.

"We can't afford to lose this ship. We'll have to give it our best shot."

A few minutes later they pulled out of hyperspace dangerously close to the planet, and Obi-Wan carefully piloted the ship forwards.

"Come on…" Calraen muttered nervously, watching the gauge. "Okay, we're through. Let the gravity take over…"

Obi-Wan released the accelerator and the ship gained momentum as they neared the surface.

"Any settlements nearby?" He asked.

"Nothing's showing up. Just try to land wherever you can, we'll sort it out later."

"Yes, Master," he replied, cocking an eyebrow at her. It took her a second to realise it was a joke.

They cleared the cloud cover and below them was trees. Obi-Wan aimed for a clearing, spotting a few buildings nearby. Then, without warning, blaster fire ripped into their hull and the ship spun sideways. Calraen didn't even have time to yell out in surprise. Another volley came at them and she felt part of the ship, probably a wing, rip away.

The trees rushed up to meet them. So much for a soft landing.

"Hold on!" Obi-Wan yelled.

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

Calraen didn't black out for long. She guessed it had only been a few seconds, from the shock of the impact. Checking herself quickly, she found a gash on her side where a loose piece of metal must have flown past, and other than that she wasn't seriously injured – though she knew she'd be sore tomorrow.

The ship was hanging a few metres off the ground, tilted slightly forwards so that she was held in only by her safety harness. Unclipping herself and standing, she glanced over the ship. She thought it was unlikely they'd be able to repair it, but then again, she didn't know much about the subject.

Then she saw Obi-Wan.

He was slumped forwards in his seat and there was a lot of blood. The viewport had smashed on his side and the pieces had ripped through him. For a second her breath caught in her throat and her heart froze and she thought he was dead, but then she reached out to the Force and felt his life energy – it was weak, but it was there.

"Obi-Wan, come on, we need to get out of here…" She stepped closer to him. "Obi-Wan?" She didn't want to have to touch him. She didn't want to touch anyone, ever again, after what happened… But she knew he wasn't going to be waking up any time soon. She took a deep breath. Yoda had told her to conquer her fears, so that's what she would do.

Carefully putting a hand to his shoulder and pushing him back against the seat, she undid his harness and pulled him upright by his underarms to stop him falling forward. She lay him over the control panel and climbed back up to the rear of the ship to grab the emergency supply pack. She pulled the straps over her shoulders and returned to Obi-Wan, setting her foot on the control panel and hauling him up over her shoulder.

_Ugh, could he be any heavier?_ She kicked out what remained of the viewport and dropped through to the ground, using the Force to steady her landing under his weight.

Then, as she looked around the area at the thick trees and underbrush, she felt an unexpected confidence fill her.

_This is what you're good at._ And it was true. If she had a talent for anything, it was surviving in the wilderness by herself. She turned in the direction of the buildings she'd seen on their descent, and started through the forest.

* * *

Obi-Wan bleeding: my favourite :)


	8. Chapter 8

Calraen dumped Obi-Wan's limp form onto the ground. A campfire cast a warm light across the back wall of the cave, but it was small enough that it wouldn't be seen from outside. She'd cleared a section of the stone floor of twigs and dirt and laid out the blanket from the survival kit, and she'd filled some plastic pouches with fresh water from a stream nearby before darkness fell. The Jedi Master had turned out to be more of a burden than she'd expected and she hadn't made it to the settlement, but the cave was as good as any shelter they would find there.

She knelt next to him. There was no putting it off any longer, she was going to have to take a look at his injuries. Grasping the front of his tunic, she pulled him over onto his back and then lifted him to tug his cloak off. She frowned at his belt for a few seconds, trying to figure out how it worked, then spotted the catch and quickly pulled it off with his obi.

Putting them aside, she paused again. She didn't want to do this. _Why doesn't he wake up?_She pushed thoughts and memories out of her head and eased him out of his tunics as gently and quickly as possible. She dashed water and bacta across his chest clumsily, figuring he could do it properly himself when he woke. Some of the blood cleared and the gashes immediately looked smaller, but she wondered if he'd broken any ribs.

Moving her attention upwards, she dabbed a cloth at his temple where a red mark had formed. He must have hit his head on the control panel – that would explain why he'd been unconscious so long.

She padded bacta onto the other gashes through his hair and along his cheek, then sat back and went to work on her own wound.

As she was rolling the leg of her pants back down over the gash, Obi-Wan groaned and raised a hand to his head. She nudged him with the boot she hadn't replaced on her foot yet.

"Hey, wake up," she said lamely. He rolled onto his side and drew his knees up before his eyes opened.

"Ca – Calraen," he said, frowning at her through his fingers.

"That's me," she muttered, pulling her boot on.

"Did – weren't we – were we flying?"

She sighed, slightly sympathetic. "You've got a bit of concussion. We crashed, remember? We're on Kavara. I'm still not sure who shot us down. We'll find out in the morning."

She stood and went to stoke up the fire.

"Are you alright?" He asked after a pause.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Your harness must not have worked properly, or something."

She sat down against the wall and watched out of the corner of her eye as he tried to sit up. His hand went to his ribs, confirming her suspicions.

He noticed her watching. "I'll be healed by the morning. It's one of my specialities."

She snorted. He fished a food capsule from his belt.

"Thankyou for rescuing me." She sensed him toss the capsule over and caught it in one hand, but she didn't answer. He drank some water and flopped back down, going into a healing trance in minutes. Calraen turned the capsule over in her fingers. _At least now we're even._

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

By the time the sky started to lighten, Obi-Wan's healing trance had faltered and he had fallen asleep. Calraen, on the other hand, was rubbing eyes sore from tiredness but hadn't been able to rest all night – her mind wouldn't quieten. Could it be clone troopers that had shot them down? She hoped it wasn't. The last time she'd seen a clone trooper was when they'd turned on her Master and killed her. But they hadn't known Calraen was a Jedi, they'd just thought she was part of the planet's loyalist movement. They had wanted to make an example of her… She remembered the alleyway, she remembered seeing the three moons in the sky above her... She shook her head. That squadron had been defective – it was exceptional, almost unheard of. If there were clone troopers here they wouldn't be the same. She hoped it wasn't clone troopers. She didn't know how she'd react.

She was standing at the mouth of the cave when Obi-Wan started dreaming again. Frowning, she stepped over and nudged him a few times with her foot, but moved away before he opened his eyes. When he sat up she was dousing the fire.

"It's nearly dawn," she said, kneeling to gather the supplies into the bag. "We should get moving."

It didn't take them long to make it from the cave to the group of buildings, which turned out to be less of a settlement and more of a fairly large town, but most of it was hidden under the trees in low, long structures that were dug into the ground. The planet was a human colony that apparently had no native intelligent life forms, "Or so they say," Obi-Wan commented, dubious. The economy was based on small electronics technological development, such as comlinks and datapads and small weapons, so they both figured it shouldn't be too difficult to find transport to the capital, as the exports would all have to be sent there first before going off-planet.

Obi-Wan stepped over to a stall and Calraen followed, keeping half her attention on the street outside the tent. There was something about this place that was making her uneasy, but she couldn't pin it down. Obi-Wan pulled out his comlink that had been damaged in the crash and asked if the stall owner had the replacement part he needed to fix it. Calraen tuned out as they argued over the price, her focus centering on two Twi'leks standing in the corner.

"It was broken into last night," the blue one said quietly, completely unaware that Calraen was listening to them. "That has to be proof. If only we could get in contact with him, surely he'd agree to help us."

"How do you know it wasn't just another of the rebel groups? There are so many trying to stop the production lines..."

They moved halfway out the tent entrance and Calraen wandered closer, pretending to examine the parts laid out on table along the walls.

"Because of the scale of the damage," the blue Twi'lek replied. "One normal person alone couldn't have done so much. Surely it was a Jedi-"

"Sshhh!" The green one interrupted. Calraen struggled to stop herself reacting. _Another Jedi! _"Don't be so loud, you never know who is an Imperial spy..." She knew he was wary of her. She wanted to run over to them, to say they were on the same side, to ask them to tell her all they knew about this other Jedi. But she restrained her impulse. There would be a wiser way to go about it.

Obi-Wan had paid for the part and she followed him back out into the street. The two Twi'leks were moving off as well, down the street to her right.

"Obi-Wan, those two Twi'leks, we should follow them," she said, worried they would get away.

"Why? What did they say?"

"They're part of a rebellion movement. They think there's a Jedi on the planet. And the Empire _is _here, they said there's produc-"

She paused.

Obi-Wan looked up at the same time. White armour.

"Well, I suppose that answers the question of who shot us down. He glanced down at the Padawan. "Calraen?"

She had frozen. Fear swallowed her. She couldn't dispel it.

"Calraen, we should get off the street."

She could hear Obi-Wan talking, but she didn't know what he was saying. She was in a memory. She remembered how they'd waited until she was alone, and how there were so many she didn't have a hope of fighting back. She'd heard the rumours among the loyalists that the defective squadron was on the planet, how the commanders knew about the problem with them but left them to operate normally anyway, that it was a fear tactic. Other girls had been taken, but somehow she hadn't been able to imagine that it would happen to her. She was a _Jedi_. In the end, it hadn't made any difference...

She was being tugged sideways and she returned to the present. Obi-Wan was pulling her into a narrow alleyway, putting himself between her and the entrance so she couldn't see the white armour anymore, wrapping his cloak around her and holding her hesitantly against his chest… She wondered about that. Why is he holding me? Then her senses returned more fully, and she realised she was shaking.

As soon as she noticed it, she got herself under control, but for some reason she didn't want to move away from him. Her arms hung at her sides and her nose rested against his tunic, and she wasn't sure what to do. Something about it was completely unfamiliar, but at the same time it wasn't unpleasant.

He grasped her shoulders and stepped back from her, carefully examining her pale face. "Would you prefer to return to the cave?" he asked, placing a cool hand over her forehead, checking for fever. "Perhaps you're not as fully recovered as you thought…"

"No, no, I'm okay now," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not injured, it was just…" she hesitated. It was forbidden to lie to a Master, or even to conceal the truth. Reluctantly, she met his eyes. "I was afraid. I'm not sure what happened… I kind of froze up."

Obi-Wan nodded hesitantly. He didn't understand, but he didn't want to press her for more. "Well, they're gone now. What were you saying about the Twi'leks?"

Her sense of urgency returned. "The Twi'leks! Come on, we have to find them!"


	9. Chapter 9

The two Jedi moved quickly down the street without appearing to rush.

"They went down here," Calraen said quietly, turning right into a narrower street. On either side the low buildings hugged the road tightly, allowing no room for a footpath. When a speeder came past they had to press themselves into the alcove of a doorway. They reached another intersection leading off into residential buildings.

"I'm not sure where to go next," she admitted.

They moved closer to the buildings on the corner, wary of standing out in the open. Obi-Wan scanned the area from under his hood. It was quiet, but it was also still quite early in the morning.

"See those signs?" he said. "It looks like this planet has some problems with racial segregation."

Calraen looked. On the building corner where there would normally be street names, a sign divided the left and right sections into 'Human' and 'Alien'.

"Well, that narrows down our choices," Calraen commented wryly, looking to the right down the street to the buildings clustered together. There were so many doors, and some were even double storey.

"Let's just see what happens," Obi-Wan replied, crossing to the 'Alien' section and striding down the middle of the road. He pushed his hood back and stared through the windows they passed. Calraen followed uncertainly behind him, unsure what he was trying to achieve. However, within minutes, she noticed faces peering out of windows, some doors opening a crack then closing quickly when she looked around. Before long someone emerged completely and approached them.

"Um, excuse me sir," he said hesitantly. He was a young Mirilian, almost indistinguishable from a Human boy. "Are you lost?"

Obi-Wan bowed to him politely. Before he could speak, a voice came from behind him. Another being emerged from the door and Calraen shot a glance at Obi-Wan. This was one of the Twi'leks she had seen earlier.

"Alang, what are you doing? Show the Humans the respect they deserve!" He dropped to a knee and bowed his head. "How can we be of service, sir?"

Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably. "That won't be necessary - please, stand up. We're not in allegiance with the Empire."

The Twi'lek got to his feet hesitantly. "With respect, sir, how can I take your word on that?"

Calraen saw his point. "I know you probably have no reason to trust us, as Humans, but I heard you talking in the market just now, and you-"

"Calraen," Obi-Wan warned, glancing around at the roofs in case of surveillance. "I think we should have this discussion somewhere more private."

The Twi'lek nodded. "I agree. Come inside."

They stepped into the small home. Once he closed the door behind them, the Twi'lek turned to face them with a disapproving expression.

"You are Jedi."

"…What makes you think that?" Obi-Wan asked, and the other being rolled his eyes. His sycophantic manner had disappeared entirely. "Look at you. The way you are dressed, the way you walk, everything in your manner. We will have to help you find a better disguise."

"Then you'll help us?" Calraen asked, surprised.

The Twi'lek nodded. "I have not introduced myself. I am Tann'ima. My brother," he indicated the green Twi'lek Calraen had seen in the market, who stood in a doorway, "Kar'ima. And this is Alang, our… friend." Calraen wondered how the young Mirilian had ended up here. She assumed his parents were dead.

Obi-Wan bowed, and Calraen followed suit. "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is Calraen Onasi."

"Your Padawan?"

Calraen found it interesting that Obi-Wan hesitated before replying. "No, not exactly. You seem to be familiar with the Jedi?"

"Yes," Tann'ima led them into the next room where they sat around a table. "In fact, others have come through here recently. As I'm sure you overheard, we think there may be a Jedi on planet now-"

"Others?" Calraen interrupted. "How long ago? Do you know their names?" Obi-Wan waited for an answer just as urgently.

"I'm sorry, I don't know their names."

"Do you know what they were doing here?" he asked.

"No. I had hoped to ask for their help, and we sent a message to them, but they disappeared soon after. We assume they were being pursued." Both Jedi were clearly disappointed. "I'm sorry we couldn't find out more. But we believe there is another Jedi on the planet now, trying to stop the production lines."

"What are these production lines?" Obi-Wan asked, returning his focus to the present.

The other Twi'lek, who had been leaning against the wall and watching them, stepped forward. "The Empire recently took over this planet and started to set up factories. Kavara is now one of their primary suppliers of weapons and technology."

"I wasn't aware of that. I thought Kavara was still neutral in the conflict."

"We were. They invaded and have taken military control. You may have seen the troops on the street." Kar'ima made an angry gesture with his fist. "Our planet had its fair share of problems before, but it was never as bad as this. All non-humans are at risk of being taken in raids and sent to work on the production lines. Alang's parents are among them."

Calraen's eyes widened. "You mean, like slavery?" Obi-Wan's eyes softened. She had not seen as much of the galaxy as he had.

"Yes," Tann'ima nodded. "And they have managed to keep it all secret so far. We are working to try to expose it."

"Not that it will do much good," his brother replied. "There is no real senate anymore – there is no one left to fight for justice. The galaxy will not care."

Tann'ima turned an angry glare on the green Twi'lek. "Well, you are welcome to leave at any time, brother. Save yourself."

Kar'ima rolled his eyes. "You know I can't leave our friends to suffer and die." He turned back to the Jedi. "If only we could amass enough support to overcome the squadrons stationed here, we could go out to the factories and destroy them, and free the slaves."

The blue Twi'lek nodded. "Weapons are not a problem. We run our own business in light blasters, to the annoyance of the Human community. The thing we need is more people to use them. Everyone is scared of what would happen if we were to fail."

Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. For the first time in months, he felt more like himself. This could almost have been a standard mission, him and his Padawan on an unfamiliar world plagued with a corrupt leader.

"But you believe a Jedi has already taken action?"

"Yes. Last night one of the factories was attacked and almost destroyed. The slaves were freed, but they didn't make it far before the clones rounded them up again. This is why we need numbers – if we can coordinate an attack on all the warehouses at once, they will not be able to respond fast enough to recapture the slaves."

"I heard you mention other resistance groups," Calraen prompted.

"Yes, there are many small groups of us in this area."

"And you can coordinate with each other?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, we meet regularly. In fact, we have a meeting tonight. You should come." He glanced at his brother for affirmation.

Kar'ima nodded. "Yes, the Jedi should come."

"It is settled, then," Obi-Wan agreed. "In the meantime, perhaps you could help us with our ship. We were shot down, but the area we landed in was quite inaccessible. The clone troopers may not have found it yet."

"Kar'ima has the expertise with ship repairs. He will go with you."


	10. Chapter 10

As they headed out of the town and back into the jungle, Obi-Wan fiddled with the comlink. Calraen marvelled that he was able to walk through the thick undergrowth and concentrate on repairing the small device at the same time. He fixed it before they were halfway to the crash site and got in contact with Bail Organa immediately. She listened to Obi-Wan's side of the conversation as she walked. Obi-Wan explained their situation and asked if Bail had heard from Captain Antilles. There was no way they could make the rendezvous in time.

At the end of the call, he explained the parts she didn't hear.

"Bail is going to try to make contact with the Captain. Once he's done that he will call us back and let us know what's happening."

Calraen nodded. "I hope the others aren't in trouble with the imperials as well."

They reached the ship in much shorter time than Calraen had expected. But then, last time she had been carrying Obi-Wan's considerable weight on her shoulders.

The crash site wasn't pretty. The trees that had been in the way of their descent were ripped aside and there was a great trench of dirt where the nose of the ship had plunged in. The view port was shattered and the left wing was almost torn completely off.

Kar'ima studied it from the ground for a few minutes while the two Jedi waited for a verdict.

"Well, what do you think?" Calraen asked, impatient.

Kar'ima shrugged. "I _have_ seen worse." He turned to them. "It appears to be fixable. Let me have a look inside first."

Obi-Wan nodded and the Twi'lek climbed up through the view port. He and Calraen glanced at each other. "Better news than I'd expected," Obi-Wan said. "But then I don't even remember the crash."

"I'm just surprised no one else has been here to check in out yet."

Kar'ima called out from inside the ship. "Could I have a hand in here?"

"I'll go," Obi-Wan said, stepping forward then pausing and turning back. "Could you watch the comlink, Cal? If Bail calls back let me know."

"Cal," she repeated quietly as she took it. "My friends used to call me Cal."

Obi-Wan paused, wondering if she would say more. When she didn't, he put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort, but she flinched away again.

When she saw the hurt look in his eyes she instantly regretted her impulse. "I'm sorry," she quickly mumbled.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly.

"I know."

Obi-Wan smiled half-heartedly before turning and following Kar'ima into the ship. Calraen leaned against a tree, disgusted with herself. Obi-Wan only tried to be kind, and she threw the gesture in his face. She wished she could control her reactions. She would try harder.

After a few minutes the comlink signal blinked and she called Obi-Wan back.

This time it was Yoda on the other end. Obi-Wan turned the volume up so they could both hear.

"Glad I am to hear both of you are safe," he said, and Calraen noted the sincere relief in his voice. "Grounded also is Captain Antilles and his crew. Prepared they now are to wait for you in the capital. Agree with you I do – find this Jedi, if exist he does. And these others you mentioned – meditate on this information I will."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said. "It appears that our ship may be repairable, but it might take some time. Is Captain Antilles prepared to wait a few weeks here?"

"He has agreed to do so. Obi-Wan – take greater care of your comlink, you must. Be in touch soon we will."

Obi-Wan cut the communication as Kar'ima jumped down from the ship again.

"I can fix it," he announced. "But it will take time, and equipment, and many hands. This I can provide, but not for free."

Obi-Wan nodded. "We understand. We do have access to credits, but-"

"No," Kar'ima cut him off with a wave of his hand. "I'm not asking for money. I'm asking for your help. Help us in the raid on the factories and in freeing the slaves, and in return we will repair your ship."

Obi-Wan glanced at Calraen before replying, and she greatly appreciated that fact that he didn't agree straight away without consulting her. She nodded at him; there wasn't any other way.

"Alright. We agree."

Kar'ima was excited. He shook Obi-Wan's hand enthusiastically before striding off back towards the village. "Come! We have to do something about your appearance!"

An hour later, the two Jedi stood before another Twi'lek, this one a female and the owner of a semi-legal supply store on the outskirts of the town. The building was solid, and plainly equipped with high-tech surveillance and defence systems in case of a raid. Kar'ima explained the situation to her and she was immediately happy to help, so he left them with her to go to his own shop for the day.

As soon as he left, her whole demeanour changed and she looked the two of them sceptically, as one would look over a dirty old pair of shoes. "So, do you _want_ to be recognised as Jedi? Because you're doing a good job."

"We weren't aware that there was an Imperial presence on this planet," Obi-Wan said neutrally.

"Whether there is or not, you shouldn't be so obvious. Do you have any idea how big a price is on your heads?"

More than anything, Calraen hated being patronised. "Will you help us or not?" she asked impatiently. Obi-Wan gave her something of a warning glance, but she ignored it. "Because we've managed to do alright so far by ourselves."

"Well, Missy, Kar said you're helping us now, so you're not by yourselves anymore, are you? Bad enough that you're human, but worse that you're female. You stand out like a Hutt on this planet."

Calraen started to make a sharp reply but the Twi'lek cut her off dismissively. "For a start, you should do something about that Jedi haircut. Most being in the galaxy are going to recognise that rattail."

The Padawan took a step back, putting a hand protectively around her braid. "No, it's… I can't," she said, her confidence disappearing.

"Well, are you helping us or not? Because you need to decide now."

"But I-"

Her braid showed that she was learning – to cut it off would be arrogant, would be to declare herself a Knight, and to forsake her late Master's teaching. She couldn't.

To her relief, Obi-Wan stepped between the Padawan and the Twi'lek. "I'm afraid that's out of the question," he said with finality. "Perhaps a hat would suffice."

As it turned out, the supplier was quite talented with understated disguises. She quickly found a cap for Calraen and a dark blue jacket that made her look like a mechanic, and for Obi-Wan a variety of straps and holsters made him look like a common mercenary. She also insisted on dyeing their pants and outer tunics black, which neither of the Jedi liked, but at least it was better than cutting of Calraen's braid.

She let them wait in the store room while she dyed their clothes, and at first they both took the chance to meditate, but neither of them found they could get very far. Obi-Wan sat on a crate in his shorts and undertunic while Calraen sat leaning against it on the floor, wrapped in his big cloak again.

"Thanks for… before," she said, breaking the silence.

Obi-Wan shook his head in response. "She means well, I think, she's just insensitive toward our traditions."

Calraen nodded, fingering her braid thoughtfully.

"Maybe I should cut it," she said, restraining her emotions. "I hate the idea, but I don't want it to get us in trouble either. I mean, I'm not likely to ever be knighted anyway, so it wouldn't-"

"Cal, Cal, don't," Obi-Wan interrupted. "We still have Yoda. You will face trials, and you will pass, _and_ you will have a proper knighting ceremony."

"But Master Yoda says I'm not ready to face the trials," she replied, despair in her voice. Compassion clenched Obi-Wan's heart and he slid off the crate to sit on the floor opposite her. "And I don't have a Master, so how can I learn and train to prepare for them?"

Now is the time, Obi-Wan knew. I'll ask her now. He pulled a knee up to his chin, gathering himself. He wasn't sure exactly what to say. And he was no _nervous_.

"Obi-Wan, are you alright?"

He looked back up at her.

"Calraen-"

The door opened loudly behind them.

"Your clothes are ready, come on."

* * *

Let me know what you all think. I know it must be a bit boring at the moment, but more exciting stuff is coming up, I promise!


	11. Chapter 11

They spent the rest of the day wandering around the town and getting its layout. Obi-Wan watched Calraen carefully whenever they passed a squad of clone troopers, but she seemed to be more in control of herself now. She tensed slightly, but that was all. His opportunity to ask her to be his Padawan had come and gone, and he wondered when he would next get a chance. He supposed he could just come out and ask her at any time. It probably wouldn't make a difference to her – she would accept or she wouldn't, whatever time it was when he asked her. It was his own feelings that were stopping him.

He was just so nervous. He hadn't been this nervous for years. But then, he supposed, he hadn't had to put his own heart on the line like this for years, either. He was afraid. Afraid that she would refuse, because he liked the girl a lot and was starting to feel that it was right for him to train her, but he was also afraid that he would fail again, as he had with Anakin.

The sun was starting to set and they were making their way back across the town to the ima's home. He watched Calraen discretely as they walked. She would make a good Jedi if only she could control her impulses and reactions, and learn to remain outwardly impassive no matter what was going on around her, or inside her. He thought he could teach her that. But then he didn't want her to repress her character either. In many ways she reminded him of another Padawan he had known long ago, who also had to learn to control her reactions, and to think a bit more before speaking. He smiled at the memory, and Calraen looked up at him questioningly.

"Remember that we should try to observe as much as possible during this meeting," he said, quickly changing the subject from questions he didn't want to answer. "I believe I trust Kar'ima, but we should be alert for spies and intruders. Security breaches are very common in organisations such as this."

They arrived at the house and knocked on the door.

"Come in, come in," Tann'ima answered them. "They have already started to arrive."

Obi-Wan stepped into the entrance, then froze. Something in the Force hit him like a laser blast.

"What is it?" Calraen asked quietly. Obi-Wan shook his head. He was disoriented for a second and he tried to gather his mind together and figure out where the wave had come from. Was it warning him of danger? No. But it was warning him of something else. Setting his pack down against the wall, he stepped forward into the main room where at least ten beings were gathered around. His eyes went straight to one. His hair was dyed brown and he was dressed like a bounty hunter, but Obi-Wan still recognised his friend. The other man's eyes met his, and widened.

"Obi-Wan!"

Garen Muln, one of Obi-Wan's best friends from his temple days, vaulted the table and threw himself at his friend. Obi-Wan stumbled back a few paces from the impact but hugged his friend back just as tightly. He felt tears sting his eyes.

"You're alive!" He gasped as Garen squeezed the air out of his lungs before stepping back to look him over.

"So are you!" he exclaimed. "I thought… Obi-Wan, almost everyone else…"

"I know. But I can't believe you're still – what am I saying, of course I believe it. I'll bet you were in your starfighter when the clones turned, and they couldn't catch you. No one could ever catch you once you're in the air."

Garen smiled, but it was slightly bitter. "I wish that were so, Obi-Wan. But have you heard from anyone else?"

Calraen had been standing apart from them, and now Obi-Wan reached over and pulled her in by the sleeve.

"This is Calraen. Calraen, my friend Garen Muln."

"Oh, Garen Muln," she said, recognition sparking in her eyes. "You're the fighter pilot Jedi."

"I guess that's me," the man smiled.

"And-" Obi-Wan glanced around the room. It was imperative that no unwanted ear heard about their colony, so he leaned close to whisper to Garen that Yoda was alive and that they were establishing a safe base for remaining Jedi. Garen's face showed amazement, but he didn't comment, understanding the need for caution. Another group of beings were arriving and the room was overfull.

"How did you come to be here?" Obi-Wan asked as they moved into the next room.

"I came in contact with one of the members of this group, and they brought me."

"Were you the one who attacked the factories?" Calraen asked.

Garen nodded. "Yes, that was me, and I admit now it was a bit foolish. However, if I hadn't, I wouldn't have met with you two. So perhaps it was the will of the Force that I'm so brainless!"

Obi-Wan chuckled, then turned his attention to Kar'ima, who was standing on the table in the middle of the room, trying to speak over everyone.

"If everyone can find a seat, we'll get this meeting started!"

Within ten minutes of the meeting, Calraen was bored stiff. With this added to the fact that she hadn't slept properly the night before, she was nodding off after the first half hour. The group spent a lot of time on formalities and took reports from each team, even if they had nothing even remotely interesting to report. The Jedi sat on the floor against the back wall, one of the few spaces available after the rest of the group arrived and crammed into the small sitting room. Calraen was squashed between Obi-Wan and the corner and her view was of a Rodian's backside. She quickly lost interest and felt her eyelids get heavy. Her head sunk comically to her chest and Obi-Wan elbowed her gently.

"Wh-what?"

He smiled, and put a finger to his lips before pointing toward the speaker. Something interesting was finally happening.

"I have spoken with Amare, our exiled governor. I told him our plan to raid the factories and thwart the plans of the imperials, but he was still reluctant to take part. Now that we have three Jedi on our side, however, we can do much more damage! He said to me that if we could expel the imperial presence from the planet initially, he would be able to prevent them from returning."

Calraen leaned to the side to see past the Rodian and through a narrow gap in the chairs to the speaker. He was an Ansionian, humanoid with pale yellow skin.

"But how can he do this? He has no resources!" Someone spoke up.

"He has never lied to us before. Why would he now?" Another voice replied.

"I agree with Darga, we should strike quickly while the odds are on our side – we should strike tonight!"

A chorus of voices broke out, some eager to raid the factories immediately, others urging caution.

Kar'ima stood up and called for silence. "You have not heard all the relevant information yet. The Jedi have agreed to help us on a condition – we must help them repair their damaged ship. Do we agree to this?"

A chorus of agreement answered him.

"There are various parts that they require for their ship that can only be obtained from the factories-" Obi-Wan and Calraen glanced at each other. He hadn't mentioned that before. "Therefore we should launch our raid quickly in order to get this deal underway. There is no point in delaying. Each day the Jedi remain in one spot, they run higher and higher risk of being identified. The time to move is now!"

This time, the proposal met with an enthusiastic response. Calraen grinned. "Looks like we're finally doing something," she said.

"I just hope it's the right thing," Obi-Wan replied.

The group took a further hour or two to coordinate. They wanted to spread the Jedi out and have one with each team, but Obi-Wan refused to be separated from Calraen. She found this slightly irritating – she could see the sense of spreading the Jedi more widely – but she was also rather flattered. He was making it his business to keep an eye out for her. Like a Master would with his Padawan. She pushed the thought out of her head – it was pointless to get her hopes up. To be honest with herself, she rathered they all stay together as well. However, Obi-Wan had no such control over Garen, who decided to go separately.

They all moved quietly through the town to the ima's shop, where the group armed themselves heavily. They tried to supply the Jedi with blasters and armour, which they politely refused, but Calraen saw Obi-Wan take a few small mines and store them in a belt pouch.

Then they were moving again, following behind Kar'ima, his brother, and two other beings. Calraen found herself somewhat caught up in the excitement of the resistance group, and though it was very un-Jedi-like of her, she looked forward to a good battle. She was tired of sneaking and hiding.

The six of them piled into a landspeeder and moved away from the town into the jungle, in the opposite direction this time to where their ship crashed. Calraen once again found herself squashed between Obi-Wan and a wall – the landspeeder was only designed for two beings – and at first thought nothing of it. Her mind drifted over the fact that she was glad it was only Obi-Wan she was squashed against and not one of the other beings – that would have made her uncomfortable. Then, with a jolt, she realised something: she remembered how when they'd climbed into the landspeeder, Obi-Wan had paused to adjust one of the straps he'd been given as part of his mercenary disguise; it had been an act. He had deliberately put himself between her and the others. She quickly thought back to the meeting, when they had been searching for a place to sit. He had stood back to let her pass through the gap between the chairs and the wall first. She'd figured he was just being insufferably polite. But now she was filled with gratitude and a warm sense of respect. She looked up at him as he watched the trees flash past. She knew he intended her to not even notice, let alone thank him. He really was very nice.

Kar'ima parked the speeder a fair distance from the factory complex and they climbed out for last-minute instructions.

"Okay. The Jedi will destroy the power and communications block while the rest of us move into position. Once we receive their signal, we will release all the slaves simultaneously. You two," he indicated the two extra beings, "will guide them in the right direction so they are safe, and Tann will return to bring the speeder to the factories so we can load the equipment we need. Then the Jedi and I will do as much damage to the factories as possible." Everyone nodded. Calraen felt the collective excitement from the group. "Remember above all to be _silent_. There are mostly clones her, but there are some Imperial officers as well, and they will not be fooled as easily."

Calraen and Obi-Wan moved through the complex like shadows. It was a collection of small, individual buildings in a cleared section of the jungle, and the big factories were in the middle. The power and communications blocks were on the opposite side of where the speeder had stopped, so they skirted the treeline quickly and now they moved down an alleyway toward the fenced collection of satellite dishes and power conductors.

They paused at the entrance and hid in the shadows as two sentries walked past. These were no clones, they were officers trained, judging by their uniforms, originally for the Republic security forces, but now were part of the imperial army. They flashed torches around as they went and spoke to each other in low voices. Both Jedi held their breaths as the officers passed the alley entrance.

"I'm glad I wasn't stationed there. If I never see a Sith in my life, I'll be happy."

"What I find strange is how they just keep popping up. How many of them are there, really?"

"There's only ever two."

"Then where did the Emperor get this one from? He didn't just train him overnight."

"You idiot – this one used to be one of the Jedi, and the Emperor turned him. Anakin Skywalker, you remember hearing about him, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah of course. But he was human. This Vader has a breathing mask and everything."

"It's the same guy. He has to wear the suit because of his injuries."

Calraen was nearly grounded by a tidal wave through the Force, and she turned back to its source: Obi-Wan. One hand was covering his mouth, his eyes wide above it. His other hand reached out to steady himself against the wall. She'd paled as she heard those words, but right now she was more concerned about her friend. She gripped his shoulders.

"Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan, look at me."

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't cry out. Everything had frozen up. Anakin was dead. He was _dead_.

"Look at me," Cal repeated. He managed to focus on her face. She reached up and slowly, gently took his hand from his mouth. "Listen… It'll be okay."

He shook his head, and his stomach heaved. He put his arm over it and doubled over.

"I left him there," he said to his feet. "He was _dead_ – there's no way…" His voice didn't sound like it belonged to him at all.

Calraen moved to his side, drew him further back into the alley with an arm around his waist. His stomach churned again and then he lost the days meals to the pavement.

"Obi-Wan, breathe," Calraen said, holding him steady. If he went into shock now it would put them in a dangerous situation. This revelation couldn't have happened at a worse time. She drew him behind a pile of crates where the darkness was almost complete, and eased him down to the ground. His hands were starting to shake.

"Come on, Kenobi," she muttered, pulling his knees up so his legs were bent and pushing him forward to rest his head between them. She laid a hand awkwardly on his back and rubbed slightly. She could sense him trying to release his emotions to the Force, without much success. He was breathing again, but shallowly. He groaned, his hands holding his head, and to her surprise, she felt his waves of dizziness vicariously. How was she able to tell what he was feeling?

The ground in front of his eyes swam.

"I'm going to black out," he said hoarsely, and the next thing he knew he was on his side on the ground. He didn't know if it had been minutes or seconds. Calraen had laid him in the recovery position.

"Are you awake?" She peered into his face.

"I'm fine," he mumbled.

"I asked if you were awake, not if you were okay – so you don't have to lie."

"I'm sorry." He paused, concentrating on his focus. "I just can't believe it. I – I killed him, that was the end of it. It was horrible, but at least it was all over."

Calraen nodded, though she had never heard this story before.

"Someone must have arrived to – get him – straight after I left. How could he have survived?"

He sat up slowly. "Cal – he tried to attack when I had the high ground, and I – I took his legs and an arm and he slid down the slope…"

She squeezed her eyes shut. Now she wished he hadn't told her. But hearing the wretched emotion in his voice, she forgot her own discomfort and awkwardness and put her arms around him, gathering him up tightly. "You don't have to say all this, I understand…"

He shook his head. "No, but... he slid down, close to the lava, and he – caught alight. He had no limbs, and he was burning – it's impossible. I left him there. I couldn't watch. I should have ended it! I never thought there was the slightest chance he could…" he trailed off, and Calraen felt his whole body shudder. He didn't make a sound, but she felt moisture fall onto her hand. The great Obi-Wan Kenobi was crying in her arms.

She laid her cheek against his hair, feeling the emotions as he went through them. Despair, regret, anger, disgust, grief… and at the same time she wondered how it was possible that she could sense all this. A day ago this connection hadn't existed, and now it was suddenly on a level so advanced it had taken her and her Master years to achieve it. Why was it so strong? She hadn't even known him very long…

Once the dizziness and nausea receded, Obi-Wan gathered himself quickly. To her mind, he felt like a broken mug, the pieces put back in place but barely held together. She knew that when this was over, he was going to have to crash whether he liked it or not. She resolved to look after him when it happened.

They both got to their feet. Obi-Wan still looked unstable, but she didn't say anything.

"Let's go," he said.


	12. Chapter 12

Finally got computer access again! Hope you like this chapter :)

* * *

Lightsabre combat had never been Calraen's strongest point. She inherited her Master's opinion that if the situation deteriorates as far as violence, they as Jedi have failed already. Her skills lay in languages, academic studies, and tracking and survival in the wilderness. The slaves had been successfully released and she and Obi-Wan had destroyed the power and communications block. Now they were dealing with the small squad of troopers that had been alerted. She charged towards them and cut them down in basic, unsurprising moves. She wasn't incompetent, but glancing over at Obi-Wan, she knew she was nothing compared to him. He was a true Master, with two Sith Lords to his record. She had so much to learn from him – she briefly wondered if he would ever consider taking her on. She doubted it, after Skywalker. He wouldn't want to even think about training an apprentice.

They quickly dispatched the small group and now they were running to the centre of the complex where the main factories were. As she ran next to him, she thought that even if she couldn't have him as her Master, she would like to be his friend – it was strange, but since the wars started she hadn't thought much about things like friendship, and during her month in the cave she had thought she didn't need it. But now she was starting to remember what she'd been missing. Jokes, shared smiles, understanding. And Obi-Wan was nice, and kind, and he'd been so many places she wanted to go, and seen so many things she wanted to ask him about, but was still too shy. She realised she trusted him. Yoda would be pleased, she thought.

When they got to the factory the brothers were already there. Tann'ima was loading the parts they needed for the ship onto the landspeeder, and Kar'ima was setting the charges inside the building. "I can handle the explosives," he told them. "You grab the equipment you need."

They nodded and quickly moved further into the dark building. Technology of all kinds was piled everywhere on production lines and racks. Obi-Wan paused to examine a ship security system, while Calraen picked up a comlink that was more advanced than any she'd seen before. There was so much they could use back on the planet.

"We should move quickly," Obi-Wan said. "Take anything we can use, but especially try to find a power source. I'll take the other side."

She nodded and they moved off. They had time to make three trips to the landspeeder and back before things went wrong.

Kar'ima appeared in the entrance. "They've been tipped off! We have to go, now!" Outside, Tann'ima was revving the speeder to life.

Cal couldn't believe it – who would have tipped them off? There was obviously a spy in their resistance group. "But the equipment," Cal called looking around in despair. Her arms were full of pieces from her last trip in, but they still hadn't found a renewable power source.

"No time!" Kar'ima replied, and disappeared. She started towards the door, but paused at one of the racks, piling a few more comlinks into her arms. Obi-Wan was through the bay doors and dumping his load into the landspeeder. He could hear the approaching troop transports. There was no time.

"Cal!" he called, running back to the doors. "Now!"

Startled by his tone, she left the comlinks and ran to the landspeeder to dump the loot. Then she turned to go back one last time.

"_Cal_!" he yelled again, now because the noise of the approaching transports was so loud.

"The power source, Obi-Wan!" she yelled. "Our mission! We have to find it!" She tried to go back but he caught her arm.

"Forget it."

She wrenched away. "Then why did we even come here in the first place?"

"Damn it, Cal, I won't lose you too!" he roared. He held out a hand. "Please," he said more evenly, "I need you!"

Abstractly, he remembered using the same three words with Anakin, on Geonosis – they hadn't had much effect and it had hurt him at the time. But now, there was a very different apprentice in front of him, and her eyes changed as he said those words and she ran back to him. She took his outstretched hand and they jumped into the speeder. Tann'ima had it moving almost before they were in, and Obi-Wan was surprised and relieved he'd waited so long for them. As it was, they shot away from the base and into the jungle just as the reinforcements arrived, and Kar'ima hit the button for the explosives at the same time. Obi-Wan braced himself for the explosion behind them, but it didn't come.

"What?" the Twi'lek muttered, pressing the button again. He peered closely at the transmitter and both Jedi saw his eyes widen. He held it up and they saw a tiny wire had been cut. The transmitter wouldn't work. The charges wouldn't be detonated.

"I can't believe this! How could this happen?" he exclaimed.

Obi-Wan sighed irritably. "Our mission here was compromised from the start. It seems you have a spy in your group."

Kar'ima sat back in his seat, stunned. "I don't know who it could be," he said quietly. "I trust all of them."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Going over it, Calraen realised Obi-Wan had been completely right – if she'd gone back to look, they wouldn't have made it.

The realisation sunk in without mercy.

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," she said weakly. "I was so stupid." She'd never had to worry seriously about being captured, back in the old days. Well, sure, they had worried about it, but always knew they would be able to find some way out because their status as Jedi held weight. Now, there was no escaping; the clones would kill her on sight. How could she have been so stupid? She'd put Obi-Wan in danger as well, not to mention the two Twi'leks.

She realised her hand still held Obi-Wan's when he squeezed it, and she looked up at him. It surprised her that he didn't appear annoyed.

"It's okay now," he said quietly.

ooOO000I000OOoo

When Calraen woke in the morning, it was cold. There were no spare beds at the ima's house, so the Jedi had spent a restless night on the floor of the meeting room. She opened her eyes and found Obi-Wan sitting in front of the heater, meditating. He didn't seem to sleep much. She'd heard that some Jedi learned to eliminate the need altogether, meditating for a few hours a day but never actually losing consciousness. Maybe he was trying to be like that. She sat up and went over to sit next to him by the heater, pulling the blanket with her. Close up, she could see the dark rings under his eyes and his drawn face. If he was trying to bypass the need for sleep, he wasn't doing very well.

When they had returned the night before, it had been decided that they would plan another strike, just the ima brothers and the Jedi. That way, there would be no way for the spy, whoever it was, to get the information out. They would have to wait some time, however, before the imperials relaxed their guard a bit again. Kar'ima recommended at least a week. Meanwhile, Garen and the others had gone to help relocate the slaves and make sure they stayed free. Calraen knew that normally Obi-Wan would have gone as well, but what with last night… he couldn't face anymore. She would have liked to have gone too, but she wouldn't leave him by himself.

He didn't stir as she sat next to him. He was deep in meditation. She stilled herself and started to clear her mind as well. As she drew the Force around her, she was somehow aware that Obi-Wan was coming out of his meditation, and further, that it hadn't helped him very much in clearing his mind. There it was again, that connection. It had no reason to exist, but it did.

And now the connection was telling her all kinds of things she didn't need to know - exactly where Obi-Wan was, how he was sitting, the stormy whirling of his thoughts around last night, Anakin Skywalker, and his failure as a Master – that was interesting. Slightly irritated that he was preventing her own meditation, she opened her eyes.

"You didn't fail as a Master. Anakin failed as a Padawan."

He didn't look surprised that she had spoken so suddenly, and she wondered how much of her thoughts were exposed to him.

"Come on." He stood up quickly. "We've got a few days free. Let's not waste them."

The next week passed relatively uneventfully, and yet at the same time a lot of things happened. The more days that passed, they both felt themselves slipping more and more naturally into the roles of Master and Padawan, but they didn't mention it to each other. Obi-Wan gave advice, Calraen listened. She found she had to stop herself from responding with a "Yes, Master" whenever he did so, and Obi-Wan found he had to stop himself from calling her Padawan. They spent the days by venturing into the jungle, away from surveillance, to run through lightsaber kata, to exercise, to meditate. They visited the ima's factory and spent a day learning about mechanics there – or rather, Calraen learned, and Obi-Wan pretended for her sake that he didn't know anything about it either.

In the second half of the week they had practice duels, and it was during one of these that Calraen came to a realisation that she would rather have been without. She tried to feint left then attack Obi-Wan from the right, but he saw it coming. He put his foot out with the intention of sending her over his hip onto the ground – a textbook throw. When she realised this, it was too late to get out of it, but she had time to make sure it didn't end the match. She grasped the V of his tunic as she went over and held on, pulling Obi-Wan down with her. She hit the ground with a thump on her back and Obi-Wan landed on top of her, winding her further.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?" he asked quickly.

When she turned her head to nod at him, and found his face close to hers and his body over her, something warm ran through her, and her stomach did acrobatics, and her face reddened. She was attracted to him.

This was a disaster on many levels. Besides the fact that it was completely inappropriate, there was the added complication that she would have to hide it from their connection, and she had to make sure it didn't interfere with her hopes of becoming his Padawan – which of course it did, because it made her want this even more.

She made a concerted effort to ignore it but found that it was one of those things that couldn't easily be pushed aside. She found herself wishing even more that her old Master was still with her – she'd always had advice for things like this. Calraen was usually in control of her emotions, but now they confused her. It made her happy if Obi-Wan said something nice to her, then she was angry at him for being nice and making her happy, and he would sense some of this and withdraw, leave her alone, and she sensed that _he_ sensed her angry feelings were directed towards him, and that made him sad and confused, so then she was angry at herself for being so transparent… it went on.

Again and again she released the feelings to the Force, but again and again they returned. Her biggest worry was the Obi-Wan would ask her about this internal struggle, as it was forbidden to lie to a Master, or to conceal the truth.

ooOO000I000OOoo

Kar'ima regarded them with exasperation. "I had hoped you would change your mind," he said pleadingly. Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we need those parts. We've waited ten days."

"And surely," Cal put in, "there won't be as many troops there now – they have no slaves left to guard."

"If you can get us the explosives, we'll blow it up too," Obi-Wan continued.

Tann'ima nodded at his brother as the four of them sat around the table. "We need to finish the base. This time, there will be no interference."

Kar'ima considered the options for a few moments, then agreed. "Alright," he said. "Tann will drive the speeder, and we will rig the whole place to explode. It will be risky, but…"

"It is their biggest base on the planet," he brother said. "It will be worth it."

"Agreed," Kar'ima nodded. "We will do it tonight, and tomorrow your ship will be fixed and you will be safely gone. We will finish this once and for all."


	13. Chapter 13

Tann'ima dropped them off near the base then left to wait for them at the pickup point. Calraen, Obi-Wan and Kar'ima waited in the darkness until they were sure they hadn't been spotted, then started moving silently from shadow to shadow through the trees. Obi-Wan arrived first and peered out at the same entrance point they had last time: one building ran almost right up against the trees and cast a deep shadow they could use for cover until they reached the first alleyway. Kar'ima caught his eye and nodded, loosening his blaster in its holster.

"I can't hear any patrols. With no slaves, I suppose they don't need them."

He made to move out of the trees, but something cold suddenly gripped Obi-Wan and he reached out to pull him back. To his surprise, Calraen did exactly the same.

"What is it?" He turned to look at them.

"A disturbance…" Obi-Wan frowned, glancing at the Padawan.

"I feel it too," she nodded.

They both looked up as a door opened in the building directly in front of them and clone troopers started filing out. The three impostors glanced at each other and carefully drifted further back into the darkness. However, when they heard the leader give the command to begin a search of the surrounding area, they hastened their retreat and ran from the base.

When they were far enough away to avoid immediate detection, they paused. Calraen leaned over to catch her breath.

"They know, again," she exclaimed. "How could they possibly have known?"

Obi-Wan looked over at Kar'ima. The only ones who had known about this raid were the three Jedi and the Twi'lek brothers. At first, he was inclined to suspect both of them. But then he remembered all Kar'ima had done for them, and how just now he had nearly stepped right out into the line of danger. If he had been the rat, he wouldn't have been willing to put himself into such certain danger. He would have been as far away as he could... such as with the escape transport.

Kar'ima had caught Obi-Wan's gaze and they wordlessly came to the same conclusion. Obi-Wan reached for his comlink.

"Garen," he said. Calraen looked up, catching on to his train of thought. "We're going to need that emergence pickup. Get the ship ready to leave. But wait for my signal before coming in. I'll activate the homing beacon on my comlink when we're ready to go."

"You got it," came the reply. Obi-Wan returned the device to his belt and scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"I can't believe my brother would betray us," Kar'ima spat. "It is beyond my understanding."

"Perhaps he was blackmailed," Obi-Wan suggested. "You should not assume the absolute worst. In any case, we must proceed as though we do not know about the tip."

Calraen raised an eyebrow. "You still expect to be able to get inside? The place is crawling with troops."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Exactly."

ooOO000I000OOoo

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Calraen muttered as the three strode down the base's central street.

"Me too," Kar'ima replied. "My lekku are being squished."

"Will you two keep it down?" Obi-Wan growled. "Clone troopers aren't supposed to chat."

Leaving three troopers unconscious and armourless in an alley garbage dumpster, the Jedi and the Twi'lek now marched through the base in disguise. Obi-Wan had taken the armour of a captain and strode ahead of the other two, who were just regular troopers. Assumedly, because of his high-rank markings, they had not been stopped by any of the other troops that had passed them so far. They had not encountered anyone of a higher rank – yet.

They reached the main factory where two more regular troopers stood guard.

"Security check," Obi-Wan barked, roughening his voice. To his satisfaction, they didn't question him, but stepped aside and let them though. He could have used a mind trick, of course, but it was even better if he didn't need to.

They stepped into the factory once again and looked around. The door closed behind them with a clang. They were alone.

"Wait…" Obi-Wan suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It had been _too_ easy.

He saw Calraen had picked up on his feeling, and she drew her lightsaber. "They wanted us to get in," she began, but was cut off as laser fire suddenly came from everywhere at once.

"It's a trap!" Kar'ima yelled in dismay.

Obi-Wan leaped to protect the Twi'lek, and as a unit they moved back to where the wall protected them on one side and a tall pile of crates on the other.

"Master, I feel no living Force here," Calraen said as she blocked laser bolts.

Obi-Wan glanced down at her quickly, saw her total concentration. She hadn't realised what she'd said, it had been automatic. The use of the word sent thoughts whirling through his head that he didn't need right in the middle of a battle. It was all so familiar.

He cleared his mind and returned to her point. "Yes, it is only droids attacking. How many do you think?"

_Why was he asking her that?_ he questioned himself. _He_ knew the answer. There were about twenty of them, ten each to the left and right of the main conveyor belt.

"About twenty, ten each to the left and right of that main conveyor belt."

This was getting too bizarre. He had asked her because it was what a Master would do with his Padawan. He would test her, make sure she was concentrating, check if her estimations were accurate.

And yet he still hadn't asked her to be his apprentice.

He reached to the right to deflect a blaster bolt that was slightly wide, and his eye caught the label on one of the crates they were using for cover.

"Kar," he called over the noise. "These crates are full of engine fuel. If you rig all the explosives here, it will bring the whole building down."

The Twi'lek glanced backwards and nodded. "Cover me!"

The Jedi pressed forward, deflecting the bolts as aggressively as they could. Three of the battle droids had already gone down from their own deflected fire. Obi-Wan knew that between them, they could handle the droids. And that was what worried him. Why hadn't they sent more troops in?

Once again, Calraen replied to his thoughts uncannily. "They must be hoping that the droids will deal with us, then they won't have to risk sending in real troops."

Obi-Wan nodded, but he was still unsure. When had the Empire ever worried about wasting their troops?

"If you're right, then we don't want them to start their plan B. Go and find the power component. I'll cover Kar'ima."

She nodded and disappeared into the shadows without question. She understood his reasoning; Anakin, on the other hand, had rarely managed to put reasoning above his desire to stay where the action was. Obi-Wan cleared his thoughts again. He couldn't think about that now.

Within a few minutes, Kar'ima's blaster rejoined the battle. He took one droid down and aimed carefully on another. Obi-Wan waved a hand to stop him.  
"We are trying to delay this battle, to give Calraen time to find the equipment."

"Oh," Kar'ima lowered his blaster sheepishly. "Sorry."

With his lightsaber in his right hand, Obi-Wan reached for his comlink and activated the homing beacon. Now Garen would be overhead within minutes. He just hoped that would give Calraen enough time.


	14. Chapter 14

Calraen ran as quickly and as quietly as she could into the darkness. The flashes and sounds of the battle dimmed as she passed beyond the area of the factory that she'd explored the last time they were there. She ignited her lightsaber for a light source, and held it over the items in the rack closest to her. Durasteel plating, droid motivators, comlink headsets… She wished the items were in some kind of logical order. Impatience and frustration rose up and she quickly expelled them. She needed to focus. She still had a few minutes.

Pausing in the aisle, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, drawing the Force around her. When she opened them again, her eyesight sharpened and the glow of her lightsaber seemed to cast a wider circle of light. She glanced around her and ahead, then moved off at a jog. Now she was able to take everything in as she ran past. She trusted her abilities. She knew she wouldn't miss anything.

She hoped Obi-Wan would be able to hold the battle. Then she admonished herself – as if he would have any trouble. He could probably do it in his sleep. It was ridiculous to feel any kind of concern for him.

Still, she hoped he was doing okay.

He didn't – wait. She stopped abruptly and backstepped. There they were. A whole stack of the solar power units she'd been looking for. They were each about the size of a loaf of bread, but she knew they contained panels that would expand to be metres across. She retracted her lightsaber and clipped it to her belt before picking one up. They were _heavy_, but she stacked three in her arms like a pile of books. She figured once she got back to the others, they could take one each.

With the Force helping her balance the stack, she set off at a run back to the battle, but within seconds, she heard the roar of a ship arriving overhead, and knew it must be their lift out. She looked up at the roof as she ran, wondering how Garen was going to get to them, but her question was answered right away.

With an explosion that nearly threw her off her feet, the roof disappeared. Floodlights from the ship's belly blinded her for a second, but she waved up in the ship's general direction anyway. It only took him another two seconds to send a grapnel down to her, and she clipped it to her belt quickly. She just had time to brace herself and the power units before she was pulled upwards.

"How's it going?" Garen asked, grabbing the back of her tunic to haul her in.

"Not so good. We think Kar'ima's brother tipped the garrison off. We need to get him and Obi-Wan out quickly."

"Right."

He dived back into the pilot's seat and edged the ship over towards the entrance of the factory. They were being fired on now, but the ship's shields were holding out nicely. So far.

"There they are," Garen muttered, locking the ship in position and leaping back to the hatch again. Calraen carefully stored the solar batteries before joining him. The ship shuddered at the impact of laser blasts.

"We can't sit here much longer. We're at point blank range and if they get a missile onto us – go and check, will you?"

He was reeling in the grapnel as Calraen ran to the viewport and scanned quickly. She couldn't see anything, but a warning light started flashing on one of the panels.

"Master Muln, I think they _are_ setting up a missile launcher, but it's behind us."

"Oh, of course they would," he muttered with annoyance as he pulled Kar'ima in. He jumped back into the pilot's seat and swivelled the ship around, and Calraen saw him make a quick decision.

"Obi-Wan," he yelled into the comlink. "Can you get yourself out?"

Calraen had a sinking feeling in her stomach. They were going to leave him.

"I'll be fine," Obi-Wan's voice came back, mixed with static. "Go."

Garen immediately pulled the ship up and accelerated as Kar'ima grabbed the comlink out of his hands.

"I can't wait more than five minutes to set off the charges. Get as far away from there as you can!"

There was no reply, just the sound of blaster fire and the hum of a lightsaber.

Calraen hesitated for a second, then snatched the comlink from Kar'ima. "Be careful, Obi-Wan," she said into it, rather lamely.

There was no reply for a few seconds. She expected him to be unable to respond. Then his voice came through, "I'll see you shortly."

She almost snorted as his absurd casualness. Then she cut the connection and handed Garen his comlink back.

They were clear of the base now, and Garen steadied the ship.

"We should cut the lights," Kar'ima said from the seat up the back, and Calraen reached for the switch over her head. They were thrown into almost complete darkness. Garen lowered the ship so it sat just above the treeline. It was as disguised as he could make it.

"Okay, let's get a trace on our Jedi Master," he said, swivelling his chair to face a different screen. Calraen watched carefully over his shoulder as a thermal image of the jungle in front of them came up. Garen plugged in his comlink and specified Obi-Wan's homing beacon. He zoomed in on the image, and in a few seconds they made out a figure coloured in green, distinct from the red and black of the rest of the image, leaping over something and heading towards them.

Garen calculated the distance, then called back to Kar'ima, "He's fifty metres from the factory. What's your estimated blast radius?"

"More than that. But it is enough."

"Then do it."

Kar'ima hit the button on his transmitter. A few seconds passed, then a mushroom cloud appeared in front of them, and then the sound hit.

Calraen yelled and covered her ears. The ship spun wildly in the shockwaves. She didn't know how long it lasted.

Somehow, Garen had managed to stop them from crashing. When he'd steadied the ship again, she glanced back at the thermal monitor. The green figure wasn't moving.

"Blast it," Garen muttered, firing the engines again. "Strap up, I'll send you down to get him."

Calraen nodded, running back to the hatch. She grabbed a harness off a hook and stepped into it, tightening the straps around her hips. She checked the grapnel was secure, then called back to Garen, "I'm ready!"

"Okay, go. We'll be there in a few seconds."

Calraen's stomach lurched slightly at the sight of trees flashing past below them. She let the fear go. She had to get Obi-Wan.

She leaned backwards out of the hatch, releasing the grapnel as she dropped. Her feet left the edge and she swung wildly for a few seconds, but she didn't stop lowering herself. Soon the ship paused overhead, and she dropped faster through the canopy.

Five clone troopers surrounded the body on the ground, something she hadn't expected. But then, they hadn't expected another Jedi to drop out of the sky, either. She Force pushed two of them back into a tree, hard. Even though she was hampered by the grapnel line, with her lightsaber she managed to deal with the other three quickly. Then she turned to Obi-Wan. He was slumped face down on the ground, his arms in front of his head as though he'd dived. She figured he could have been blown forward in the shock waves, but why wasn't he moving? Then she noticed a blood stain on his side. She rolled him over carefully, and found a blaster wound in his stomach. A serious injury. But he would live.

"Wake up, Obi-Wan," she muttered, slapping him on the cheek. He groaned.

She pulled out her comlink and signalled Garen. "Pull us up."

She hooked her arms under Obi-Wan's from behind in something like a half Nelson. It wasn't the best way to lift an injured person, but it wouldn't be for long. Branches hit her as they scraped through the canopy, and then she was being pulled into the ship once again.

"Get us out of here," Kar'ima called, and Garen closed the hatch and piloted them away.

* * *

With an extremely inadequate goodbye, they left Kar'ima near the town and headed East. Garen had received a message from Captain Antilles earlier, with details of a rendezvous point outside the main city. Apparently there had been a change of plan.

Calraen couldn't bring herself to care much about where they went next, as long as it had a better first aid supply. She let Garen make the decisions, and concentrated on Obi-Wan. She lay him on the floor in the corner, as he'd lain her when he rescued her from the cave. The first aid kit in the ship was seriously depleted and contained little more than bandaids and tweezers, so she sat with both her hands pressed over the wound in his stomach to stop the bleeding. It had slowed now, but she knew better than to release the pressure too soon, despite the fact that he was now more awake and telling her he was fine.

They docked with Antilles's ship within 15 minutes.

"We'll wait for a stretcher," Calraen told Garen before he stepped out to greet the Alderaanians.

"I don't need a stretcher," Obi-Wan declared.

"I think you'll find you do."

"Well, it really doesn't matter what you think, because I'm the Master and you're the Padawan."

Obi-Wan pushed himself up into a sitting position, but only got halfway. He grunted and lay back again.

Calraen snorted, and dabbed at a cut on his temple with a small bacta wipe. "You're sure about that?"

He sighed. "Well, it is also true that the Master should in turn learn from his Padawan."

Calraen's heart rate quickened. "But I'm not your Padawan," she said carefully.

"You could be," he replied, quietly, glancing at her then away again as if he was nervous. "If you wanted to."

Here it was, finally. But somehow she felt that it had been there longer than she'd realised – she noticed Obi-Wan was almost sweating, waiting for her answer. He _was_ nervous! Then she berated herself for thinking that he wouldn't be. Of course he was nervous. He was worried about failing. But she knew he wouldn't fail her – because she wouldn't fail him.

"I'd like that," she said, finally. He broke into a smile just as the medics arrived up the ramp. She helped him onto the stretcher, and he went without complaint. He just smiled.

Calraen felt her heart settle. Everything was alright. Then she followed the medics with Obi-Wan out the hatch and onto the Alderaanian ship. The day wasn't over yet.


	15. Chapter 15

Hi everyone, firstly sorry for taking like a century to update. I haven't forgotten about this story, I've just been grappling with how to continue it. I know where it's going, but the getting there is the hard part, if you know what I mean. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing, it's so good to hear what people think of it :) Anyway keep letting me know if you're liking it, I'm open to suggestions if anyone has anything they'd like to see happen. I hope you like this chapter!!

* * *

Cal followed the stretcher to the med wing, grinning stupidly the whole way. The medics paused outside the doors to sign some papers and Cal noted the sign 'restricted: medical personal only'. She turned to Obi-Wan. Turned to her Master.

"I'll see you later, then," she said. She was still so unsure. Their relationship was different now. Would he still treat her the same?

"Go have a shower, Padawan," he said, with a smile. "You smell."

"Yes, Master." She grinned. She didn't care if they were being lame. It felt good.

Once she'd located the female change rooms, she stepped into a fresher for the first time in months. She turned the water as hot as it would go, and she didn't move for five minutes. Her skin colour paled several tones as the dirt washed off. She hadn't felt so good in a long time. Years, maybe. Several coatings of conditioner unwound her braid, and she soaped off dried blood, grass stains and streaks of dirt. At the same time she felt like she was washing away the last few months and all the bad things that had happened. Now she was a Padawan again, and it was a fresh start.

She stepped out of the fresher an hour later, and found a message waiting for her on her comlink. With fresh energy, she made her way to the bridge where Garen Muln was waiting.

"Captain Antilles and his crew have decided to join us," he said after drawing her aside.

"Join us?"

"Yes. On the planet."

This was big news. "But-" she turned to face him, "how many of them are there? How do we know we can trust them all?"

He nodded. "Exactly what I asked. But he guarantees them. They are from the resistance group on Alderaan – the best of its members. Nevertheless, I intend to conduct interviews. Will you help me?"

"Of course, Master Mulnn," she replied, somewhat honoured that he would ask for her help. "Now?"

He shrugged and grinned. "If not now, then when?" He turned and started toward the back of the bridge, then paused and turned back. "What happened?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're different."

She ducked her head with sudden shyness. It was a complicated feeling. She would have to tell people, now, that she was Obi-Wan's Padawan, and that would mean that other people would know that they were close. That their relationship had developed a lot over the past week. It seemed quite bizarre to her, that it had only been a week. When they got back to the planet, the others would be surprised. When they'd left, she'd still disliked him. But now… she was his Padawan and other people would know... that he was important to her. It was strange because for a while now she had been able to hide any of her connections from other people. And now she felt kind of vulnerable. Nevertheless, she raised her chin. She was proud to be Obi-Wan's Padawan.

"I am different. I'm a Padawan again."

Master Muln put his hands on his hips. "Obi-Wan asked you? Just now?"

"Yes."

He grinned and slapped her on the back with a burst of laughter. "Things are looking up. Let's get these interviews started."

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

The Alderaanian ship had escaped the Imperials because it was fast, but it would take some time to ensure they weren't being followed or tracked. The cruiser started on its 'confusion course', random hyperspace jumps from system to system, to throw off any followers before heading to the planet.

Garen and Cal were finishing up their second round of interviews in 36 hours when they were notified that Obi-Wan was being moved into the regular ward. They could visit him now.

"Let's go, then," Garen said, shoving his datapad in his pocket.

They made their way down the halls toward the starboard side of the ship were the med centre was, and as they approached the doors Obi-Wan himself pushed through them. He was moving stiffly and only half dressed, his Jedi pants on and his robe over the pale blue shirt of a patient, his feet bare.

When he saw them he paused, and they stared at each other.

After a long moment Garen groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "I suppose this is something you should know, since you're going to be Obi-Wan's Padawan. How should I put this?" Garen crossed his arms. "He doesn't like med centres."

"Garen, now, don't make up stories," Obi-Wan said, but Cal frowned. His voice was slightly… off.

"Another thing," Garen continued, marching up to Obi-Wan and grabbing his arm to steady him. "He doesn't take pain killer drugs very well. Makes him a bit…" he crossed his eyes and twirled his finger around his temple. Cal snorted and stepped over to take Obi-Wan's boots out of his hands. "Should have told them not to give him any," Garen muttered under his breath.

"Is that why he's so good at healing trances?" Cal asked, looking up as two medics came rushing through the door looking for a missing patient.

"This is exactly why."

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

The ship's navigators didn't even know where they were going yet. Obi-Wan carried the coordinates in his head, and when the time came he would put them in the nav computer. No one else would see them, and they would leave no trace on the ship's computers.

Cal sat next to him for a while after Garen left. He didn't look too bad – a few bandages, and an apparently bruised confidence because he got caught trying to escape. Once she left, she knew, the medics were going to knock him out with drugs, because he needed the rest, and because he couldn't try to escape when he was asleep. She had discreetly warned them about his nightmares, and shyly told them to call for her if he had a bad one. For now they both sat mulling over the procedure for their journey to the planet.

"Will you tell me the coordinates?" Cal asked tentatively. He turned his gaze to her, studying her closely.

"I will if you ask me," he said quietly. "But you should consider the danger of information like that. If you were -" he looked away, troubled. "If you were captured, and tortured – would you prefer to know the coordinates or not?"

She nodded. "I understand the risks. But what if I get separated from you – how would I find my way home?"

He paused. "We could have a rendezvous point. If we get separated, we could meet there."

"Where?"

He picked at a small bandage on the back of his hand and started to peel it off. "Hmm – somewhere easy to get to, but not under tight Imperial control – and busy enough to hide in."

"How about Nar Shadaa?"

He nodded. "As good a place as any. If I remember correctly, there's a section of the capital city known as 'the jungle' – assumedly because it's so wild and lawless. That would be a good place to meet."

"Okay. Well, in that case no, I don't want to know the coordinates."

He smiled, but it was forced. "It's not a burden I would have you carry. You have enough already."

She frowned, wondering what exactly he meant, but at that moment a medic came over and started berating Obi-Wan for peeling off his bandages. She shoed Cal out and she left reluctantly, wondering where that conversation would have led. The other feelings about Obi-Wan – the ones that kept coming back whenever her mind wasn't occupied with other things – hadn't changed at all. The fact that she was now his Padawan both encouraged and discouraged them, and they ended up back where they'd started. Because he'd asked her, he must care about her somewhat – must _like_ her somewhat, at least. And she knew that from now their connection could only deepen. On the other hand, on principle she found it kind of wrong for a Padawan to have feelings like that for her Master – despite the fact that she wasn't a little girl, and their ages weren't that far apart. She didn't know what to think about it, most of the time. She just knew that it wouldn't go away.

She sat in the crew commons for hours analysing the data she'd taken with Garen in the interviews, but eventually her eyes wouldn't focus anymore and they were starting to sting from staring at the screen. She closed the datapad and located her room for the first time, falling into the bed and to sleep almost instantly.

"Cal, you know you really shouldn't sleep with your lightsaber."

It seemed only a few minutes later, but according to the chrono it was a few hours. She forced her red eyes open as Obi-Wan stepped into the room and turned on a small halo lamp. She grinned and sat up. "You've been released?"

He turned away, setting his folded pile of Jedi clothes on a shelf. He was still dressed in the pale blue patient's garb, with bare feet. He cleared his throat. "Well, let's just say - "

"Obi-Wan!" she interrupted. "You snuck out _again_?" She couldn't believe this. "How old are you supposed to be? Five?"

He looked indignant and pointed at the metal hilt in her hand, half tucked under the pillow. "This coming from a senior Padawan sleeping with her lightsaber, like a thirteen-year-old fresh out of the Ilum caves?"

She frowned. He was still slightly drugged, but not as much as before. He'd obviously managed to escape this time without detection. And she wasn't going to send him back, if he really disliked it that much. "It's a habit," she explained. "I got used to it during the wars."

"Need I tell you the story of Sie-Lana the Foolish?" Obi-Wan asked, sitting on the edge of the bed with a fake exasperated expression.

"No, Master, I'm not a youngling, you - "

"Once upon a time, there was a very foolish Padawan called Sie - "

"Obi-Wan, please!" Cal groaned, grabbing the pillow and throwing it at his back. "I've heard this story a million - "

"Sie-Lana the Foolish," Obi-Wan continued, grabbing the pillow and holding it. Grinning, he leaned back on one elbow. "Sie-Lana didn't listen to his wise Masters and slept every night with his lightsaber in his hand. The other Padawans saw him doing this and warned him against it, but Sie-Lana was foolhardy, and didn't listen to them either."

Cal grinned slightly as Obi-Wan brought the halo lamp to his chin, casting a spooky shadow over his face. "One fateful night, Sie-Lana the Foolish forgot to put the safety catch on, and as he rolled over in his sleep, he accidentally pushed the ignition button - "

Obi-Wan suddenly activated his own lightsaber in the dark and Cal repressed a yell that came out as a squeak. He really got her. She laughed and he continued. "And he cut off his own ear."

"Cut off his _ear_?" Cal interrupted. "I find that pretty unlikely. I heard he killed himself."

Obi-Wan shrugged and sat up, deactivating his lightsaber. "They don't tell you that version of the story until you're a senior Padawan."

"Oh? And I'm _not_ a senior Padawan?"

Obi-Wan turned to smirk at her as he undid the catch on a bandage on his arm. "Clearly not, since you _are_ still sleeping with your lightsaber."

Cal sighed and looked down at it, then, with an effort, held it out to him. He took it and placed it on the shelf next to his own.

He started to move over to his own bed, but paused, crouching beside hers.

"You're safe here, you know."

"A Jedi is safe nowhere."

He met her eyes reassuringly.

"You're safe with me."

She smiled, but then he frowned.

"Your eyes are really bloodshot," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed again and peering over her.

Call grimaced. "Master Muln put me on data analysis for _hours_."

Obi-Wan gave her a disapproving look. "For good reason, I'm sure."

"Yes, Master," she replied evenly.

"Now lie back," Obi-Wan instructed, shuffling closer to her.

It was something to do with how he turned, or how he sat, or possibly even just the male-ness of his shoulders and chest under the thin shirt, but it brought back a flash of memory, and she hesitated, a slight stiffness automatically coming over her body. She saw Obi-Wan note it and mentally kicked herself. She needed to learn to control her reactions.

Obi-Wan's expression saddened. "You must try to trust me, Cal."

"Yes, Master."

"I know it's hard, but it's really important."

"Yes, Master."

"I'm not going to hurt you."

She met his gaze. "I know, Obi-Wan."

She lay back and he put a cool hand over her forehead. It obscured her view of him, and that made it easier for her to say more. "It's not you. It's just kind of automatic. I'm sorry… I am trying to master it."

He paused in concentration before replying. "I understand." But really, she didn't think he did.

She felt the Force radiating from him now, flowing down his arm to her forehead and washing over her in waves. The pain subsided, but when he took his hand away it returned. She winced and pressed her temples.

"It will improve more quickly now," he said, and she nodded. After a pause, he turned to cross to his own bed, and he was asleep within minutes. Cal lay awake longer, though, disappointed that she had ruined a rare light-hearted moment. She promised herself it wouldn't happen again.


	16. Chapter 16

Once again, VERY VERY sorry i haven't updated in like a century. University has been insane. Anyway, this is a pretty big chapter - please let me know what you think, because we're getting towards the end now. If there's anything you're hoping will happen, let me know!

* * *

When the ship finally landed on the planet everyone came to the landing pad to meet them. Bringing forty new people to the base was a bigger issue than Cal had originally assumed. She hadn't considered things like feeding them and providing basic necessities. Jama was at first less than calm, until the Captain assured her that his crew had enough of their own supplies on the ship to last a few months yet.

Cal stepped off the landing pad onto the grass and breathed in the small of the air. It was good to be back on solid ground again, and away from the Empire.

Yoda approached, remaining on the pad so he was at eye level.

"Grown you have," he observed. Cal turned, a grin on her face.

"While you, Master, are the same height as always."

Yoda chuckled and sat on the edge of the platform. "Come. Tell me of your adventures you must." He glanced behind at the others. "Before your Master interrupts us."

Cal had been about to break the news to him. "You knew?" she asked, disappointed. "Did Obi-Wan call ahead?"

He chuckled again. "Guessed I did. Grown closer you have."

"Yes." She hesitated. A part of her wanted to blurt out to Yoda now all her feelings for Obi-Wan, just so he could tell her what to do. But she restrained herself. Now was not the best time – they weren't even in private. Instead, she reported their mission, like a Jedi was supposed to. She hadn't even finished before Obi-Wan came to join them, and then they all started back to the main base. Her chance was gone before it had appeared.

* * *

Cal was digging a hole again. She stood next to Jacum in a trench that was the beginning of their water system. A few metres away from them, members of the Alderaan crew were helping out so they were getting a lot done, but the sun was up and she wiped sweat off her forehead with her sleeve.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she asked Jacum somewhat flippantly. She couldn't contain it any more. She had to tell someone.

Jacum paused, planting his shovel and leaning on it.

"Sure, what is it?"

"I have a crush on Obi-Wan," she blurted. It was such a relief to say it. Now it was out.

He chuckled and returned to his digging. "Maybe you should talk to Jama or Breha about that. I doubt I'd be much use to you."

"But," she pushed, "what do you think about it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know – pretty normal, if that's what you're worried about. He's a good guy."

"You don't think I'm… that I'm too young?"

He snorted. "Obi-Wan's not that old, is he?"

Cal shrugged, picking a splinter off the handle of her shovel. "I don't know, I've never asked him."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it," he said, with a half-hidden grin.

"What?" she asked. There was obviously something she was missing here.

Jacum ran a hand through his thinning hair. "I appreciate that you Jedi are different from the rest of us, but there's still one universal truth about human men."

She frowned. "What's that?"

"Hooking up with a girl younger than you is definitely a good thing."

"Oh." She hadn't heard that before. But then, she really didn't know anything about relationships like that. This was one thing the temple didn't teach.

Jacum looked over at her again. "But I thought that kind of stuff was, you know, off-limits to Jedi?"

She sighed. "It is."

He dug another load, then paused again. "But you're hoping all that might change now that things are… different."

She glanced up at him. "I guess so, yeah."

He threw the shovel of earth out of the trench, then said, "Want me to ask him for you?"

Cal frowned again. "Ask who what?"

Jacum groaned, planting his shovel again. "You're turning me into a schoolgirl. Do you want me to ask Obi-Wan what he thinks of you?"

Cal's eyes widened. "What? No – no way! Then he'd know I asked you to ask him…"

"Gah," Jacum scratched his neck. "I thought I'd finished playing these games when I was 15," he muttered. "No, I can make it seem like it's just my own interest."

"Really?"

"How do you think I got Jama? You have to learn to play the game, girl."

Cal grinned. "I'm sure you're very skilled, but I don't think it will work on Obi-Wan."

Jacum shrugged and returned to his digging. "Your loss. Come back when you get more desperate."

Cal giggled and moved along the trench to the next section. At least now she had options.

* * *

The sun was setting. Three people were welding and Cal turned her face away from them to protect her eyes. Her job was to check all the wires were covered and she ran from connection to connection with the thick roll of black tape. She couldn't believe they'd wired the electricity of a whole building in one day. Or, the skeleton of a building. Jacum had got a lot done in the last week, with Yoda's help, and the first group of quarters were nearly done, with the main hall well on the way.

Jacum was now carefully checking the connections between the combined solar stations, arranged in a triangle. A hush came over the group and he bent down to hit the switch. The three boxes Cal had taken from Kavara unfolded and bloomed like flowers, the solar panel wings unfolding slowly. The connections were sound, and the skeleton building lit up in the darkness. A cheer went up and Cal grinned. They'd taken another step.

"Well done," she said to Jacum.

He looked sheepish as he plugged the old generator into the solar panels. "It's all more for show, really. These don't have much power in them yet – and now the sun is down. And we'll have to move it all onto the roof soon anyway."

"But it works. Look how much we got done today!"

"I know. But we still have a long way to go."

Cal made her way to the new quarters she would share with Obi-Wan. She hadn't seen him since their arrival that morning, and her discussion with Jacum and all that spare time to think about him had sort of worked her up, and now she was nervous. She resolved that if he wasn't there already, she would pretend to be asleep when he came in so she wouldn't have to speak to him.

When she accessed the door, however, she found the room lit warmly from a glow tube and two mats made up on the floor. Obi-Wan was tucking his in at the bottom.

"Too bad we don't have any real furniture yet, isn't it?" he said over his shoulder.

Cal stepped inside with a small smile. "You made my bed for me?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I was doing mine, so it was no-"

"You're the best Master ever," she interrupted, dropping onto the mat and closing her eyes. Then she realised what she'd said. She'd meant it in a colloquial kind of way, but by his silence she could tell he was slightly touched. She felt sort of awkward. She didn't want him to go all mushy on her. It wouldn't be helpful to her battle against her attraction to him.

She opened one eye. "Well, except for when you make me rescue you. Then you're pretty annoying."

"Oh really? I believe we're even on the rescue score. Two-all, isn't it?" Cal exhaled in relief. The mushy moment had passed. "Besides, I have most certainly never _made_ you do anything. You _chose_ to rescue me, both times."

"That's true, but I think you're pulling those statistics out of your arse. You've only properly rescued me once."

"I disagree. What about-"

Cal threw her boot at him and he leaned to one side so it flew past.

"Shoosh. I'm going to sleep," she said.

"Tarie will be displeased if you sleep in your clothes. She says it wears them out faster."

Cal grumbled and tugged off her outer tunics. Then she lay down and pulled up the covers. The material was rough, thick grey matting that weighed down on her, but it was very warm. Obi-Wan turned off the lamp and in the darkness she heard him shifting around to get comfortable.

"Goodnight, Master," she said into the dark.

His voice came back, deep and warm and it made her shiver. "Goodnight, my Padawan."

She grinned to herself. Things were good now. She decided she wouldn't have any problems living like this for a few years.

* * *

Obi-Wan sat on a log in the sun watching everyone else work. He felt profoundly lazy but had been ordered to take a break. He and Yoda had been working on the underground escape tunnels all morning, using the Force to rip huge amounts of earth from the tunnel and dumping it aboveground. It was exhausting work and now they were both resting.

Obi-Wan looked out over Jacum's huge construction. The secret tunnels seemed almost pointless with the kind of security Bail had created. The planet was all but invisible and impossible to locate by accident. He had taken the ship and manoeuvred a lot of large asteroids to crash with each other and now the system was barred by a treacherous asteroid field. And his surveillance let him know about any ships that came anywhere near the system.

It was an extraordinary thing, but Obi-Wan actually felt safe.

He picked out Calraen running through the building frame. She was helping the electrics team wire the systems. Hopefully she was learning a bit about it. He watched her run from one group to another carrying a message. Her grace and self-confidence was gradually returning. He noticed that she no longer hunched her shoulders so badly, and though she didn't look people in the eye yet, she no longer stared straight at the ground. Although, she looked _him_ in the eye sometimes. She was starting to really trust him, and he was glad of that.

He watched her confer with the group. The fact that she was a girl made training her very different to training Anakin. Because she really was a very attractive young woman, and that affected how people reacted to her. Not a lot. But she was different to Anakin.

"Practise some unarmed self-defence, you should," Yoda suddenly declared.

Obi-Wan looked over at him. "Right now, Master?"

He narrowly ducked a swipe with the stick.

"Yes, now, young one. Call her over."

Obi-Wan obediently stood and called Cal's name. He didn't have to yell: her hearing was well attuned to his voice now. Their training bond was growing.

She put down her tools and jogged over.

"Yes, Master?" she addressed Yoda.

"Like to see you train, I would. Unarmed defence."

Cal bowed. "Yes, Master."

Yoda chuckled and pointed his stick at Obi-Wan. "You see, respectful she is. Much to learn from her, you have."

Obi-Wan grimaced. "…Yes, Master." Then he turned to Cal who was taking a moment to stretch in preparation.

"I'll be the attacker, with no weapons first time. Ready?"

"Ready."

He stepped forward and aimed a punch at her stomach. She blocked his punch by hitting it away then side stepping, grabbing his wrist and pulling it forward so that he bent over, then she kneed him lightly in the stomach and he felt her elbow lightly touch the back of his neck. It would be very painful in a real situation.

"Good," Yoda said from his seat on the log. "Now Obi-Wan has a stick – your hilt will do."

Obi-Wan nodded as he stepped back from Cal, taking his lightsaber hilt in his hand.

This time he ran at her with the hilt held high in an attempt to hit her with it over the head. He resolved to make it harder for her this time and when she caught his wrist again he continued to charge forward, throwing her balance off. She used his movement to hook her leg behind his and with a shove of her hip sent him sprawling. On his way down, however, he flung the hilt out toward her head, but misjudged, and it hit her in the cheekbone.

She chuckled and offered a hand to help him up. He was again struck by how different she was to Anakin. He would have taken this so seriously. He took her hand and stood, then put a hand to her cheek. "Are you alright? I'm sorry."

"I'm fine," she smiled up at him from his hand. He quickly withdrew it. Female Padawans… why would he ever have a female Padawan? It made things… different. He glanced over at Yoda who was watching them thoughtfully.

"Master?" he prompted. Yoda looked up.

"Yes, very good. Next, with a blaster."

Calraen ran to ask one of the Alderaanians to borrow a blaster, and Obi-Wan watched her go. Then, behind him, Yoda groaned slightly, and he turned around.

"Master, what is it?"

Yoda put a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. Obi-Wan knelt in front of him, waiting for the vision to pass. After a few seconds, the little Master opened his eyes.

"What did you see?"

Yoda focused on him for a moment, bringing his mind back to the present. "Jedi. More Jedi."

"More? How many?"

Yoda shook his head. "See that I could not. Know I do that I must find them."

Obi-Wan stood. "We can leave immediately."

"No, no," Yoda got to his feet, leaning heavily on his cane. "An apprentice you have, Obi-Wan. Look after her you must. Too dangerous, I fear this will be."

"But…" Obi-Wan appealed, "You can't go alone…"

Yoda narrowed his eyes and sighed. "And yet I must. Call you I will, if help I need."

He started to move off and Obi-Wan stood helplessly. He didn't understand why Yoda had to take such an unnecessary risk. "Will you take the shuttle?" he called.

"Yes, Obi-Wan," Yoda called back, as though he was still a small child, worried about something trivial. The Jedi Master disappeared into the trees, and a minute later Calraen ran up with the blaster.

"Where did Master Yoda go?"

"He… left."

"What do you mean left?"

Obi-Wan turned to her. "He had a vision, and he said he saw more Jedi. He said he had to find them, alone."

His apprentice frowned. "Didn't you try to go with him?"

"He wouldn't let me."

They both looked up as they heard the shuttle fire up and then rise above the trees. They watched it leave the atmosphere.

"I hope he'll be alright," Cal said.

* * *

The next three days passed with tension. Obi-Wan joined Garen working on the landing platform while Calraen continued with the electronics.

"You shouldn't worry about Yoda," Garen had said to him more than once. "There's a reason why he's the Grand Master."

But Obi-Wan couldn't help it. On the third night, when they still hadn't heard anything, he decided he'd waited long enough. He threw back his blanket and crawled over to Calraen's sleep mat.

"Cal, wake up," he said, touching her shoulder. When she opened her eyes, he said, "I'm going after Yoda. You don't have to come."

She sat up immediately. "Are you crazy?"

He shrugged. "Probably. I know I shouldn't be worried about him, but-"

"No, I mean you're crazy if you think I'm not coming!"

"Oh."

They stole across to the landing platform and boarded the Alderaanian cruiser, going straight to the docking bay where they knew there was a small shuttle. It was one-man, but they thought they could both fit in. The only problem was that the engine wouldn't start. "Well… we can try to fix it, I suppose," Obi-Wan said doubtfully, walking around the back of the ship. He undid the hatch to access the engine and lifted it, bending over to peer inside. Cal stuck her head in as well, but regretted it when she realised it brought her face uncomfortably close to his.

"It looks like the fusion coil here has burnt out, but I think I should be able to replace it. Could you-" he paused for a moment when he turned his head to face her, and their noses were almost touching. "Could you find the toolkit? I'll – ow!" He pulled back too quickly and banged his head on the hatch. Cal giggled. "I'll try to pull this one out…" he finished, rubbing his head as she ran over to the supply racks. He gazed after her for a few seconds, then frowned and Force-pulled a repulsor board over. He lay down on it and slid himself under the engine to start the repair.

Cal pushed the big toolkit under the engine for Obi-Wan but kept a screwdriver for herself. She climbed up onto the wing of the ship so she could access the engine from the top. She lay down on the hull on her stomach and leaned over to the small hatch just beside the main engine, and started to unscrew the bolts. She thought if she could access the coolant shaft, she might be able to check for a line blockage…

Obi-Wan suddenly slid out from under the engine and she found herself looking down at him lying on his back, and she blinked a few times to clear her thoughts. There was a little devil on her shoulder telling her to accidentally-on-purpose slip and fall over the edge. Into his arms. No, no, no. She forced herself to focus on what he was saying.

"-the coolant line." Damn, she missed it. Fortunately, he saw the screwdriver in her hand. "Oh, but I see you've already thought of that. Good work." He slid back under. Cal squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, then returned to unscrewing the hatch. She _had_ to start thinking like a Jedi.

* * *

After the ship was fixed, they followed a twenty-hour trail before establishing that Yoda was on the planet Gyramun. Once they finally touched down, Obi-Wan popped the hatch and climbed out onto the wing of the fighter. The planet's humidity hit him and he pulled off his cloak, folding it and dropping it back into the cockpit. Calraen climbed down to the landing pad and pointed toward the exit. The pad was walled and they had no choice but to leave through the dockmaster's station – that meant they would have to register.

"Is our ship registered with Alderaan?" Calraen asked him.

"Yes. I don't know if that will help us or hold us up."

"Oh well, I guess we'll find out," she said, stretching. "Come on, let's go."

He resealed the hatch and then jumped down to follow her. There was a bright, tropical scent in the air and he guessed trees were on the other side of the walls. He didn't see anything during the descent because the city was mostly covered by a highly developed deflector shield that concealed everything behind a thick watery red dome. The landing pads were outside the dome, and when he followed Cal through the door into the dock office, he felt the peculiar and vaguely familiar feeling of passing through a strong shield.

The dockmaster was a human man, and he glanced up from his desk as they entered.

"Alderaan? You can go through," he said, waving them towards the door that led into the city.

Obi-Wan and Cal glanced at each other. They hadn't seen any evidence of the Empire here yet, but they had still expected to meet them at this checkpoint.

"Sorry, we haven't been here before," Obi-Wan said cautiously. "Where can we go for information?"

The man adjusted the cap on his head.

"What kind of information are you after, pal?" he asked stiffly.

"The legal kind," Obi-Wan replied with a reassuring smile. "We were just wondering about the political situation here, really… Is the empire-"

The man suddenly spat on the floor. "The dirty Empire has no presence here," he said. Then he squared his shoulders proudly. "They can't get past our defences. Our fleet is the best in the galaxy."

"No presence at all?" Cal asked. "That's very impressive."

The man scratched his ear. "Well," he conceded, "they managed to land a squad or two, but soon they will be wiped out by our army. They're fighting up in the northern continent."

Obi-Wan glanced at Cal before asking casually, "Do you get many visitors like us here?"

"Not so much," the man replied. "Mostly refugees from the Empire. They hear that our planet is still free and they all dream of coming here."

"And do you let them?" Cal asked, and the man puffed up again.

"Every one. We are generous with our resources."

Obi-Wan bowed politely. "Thankyou for your time."

They left the office and stepped out of the building into the humidity again. The shield blazed above them, tinting the sky red. The district they were in was industrial, but there were still trees everywhere. It was a nice city. Obviously, it was the middle of the working day, because the streets were mostly empty.

They turned towards the taller buildings in the distance and made their way to the city centre. As they drew closer they saw more people on the streets, shopping in markets and malls.

"This is very strange…" Cal commented, looking around at the people in one of the marketplaces.

"Yes. Because it's so normal," Obi-Wan replied. "No clone troops, no fear – it's like before the wars started."

"You're right."

They both paused in a square with three big fountains, fronting onto plain-faced government offices.

"Should we go in?" Cal asked.

"We can say we represent Bail. It would be a good place to start."

She shrugged. "Okay, let's go then."

They pushed through an old-fashioned rotating door into the air-conditioned interior. Obi-Wan was pleased to see a practical entrance without space wasted on lavish displays. It made him more inclined to trust the planet's leaders.

He straightened his tunics and started towards the desk, but Calraen hesitated.

"Obi-Wan… Can I…?" she gestured towards the desk.

He nodded, slightly surprised, and stood back to watch while she tried to get a meeting with the leader. He hadn't expected her to want to start doing things by herself yet. Maybe in a few months… but then, he knew she'd had more training in this area with her previous master than most apprentices.

He took a seat against the wall with a few other people and waited.

A minute later Cal approached him with a grin. "They want to see us right away. Come on."

Prime Minister Turani was a small, skinny man dressed in a plain tunic and pants. Calraen decided she liked him quickly, and Obi-Wan apparently felt the same, because before long he was telling the man they were members of a resistance movement and describing Yoda to him. She was slightly concerned about his lack of reserve so far.

"There are two things you need to see," Turani was saying.

"Do we need to travel far?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, they are recordings. You can see them here in our offices. They both relate to the... situation in the North."

"If there are two of them, then perhaps we can split up to save time," Obi-Wan suggested, glancing at Calraen.

She nodded. "I'll meet you back in the courtyard after."

* * *

It was horrible. She couldn't believe it. Cal left the building and stepped out of the building into the sunlight.

Looking around at the wealth of the citizens passing by, how some of them smoked, some complained about things so ridiculously trivial… she felt sick. She pushed through the crowds to the square and waited in the middle. She was surrounded by such ridiculous waste. Did these people care about what was happening to their people in the North? Did they even know? The level of ignorance was hard to grasp.

Obi-Wan approached without her noticing.

"Was yours as bad as mine?"

She shrugged. "It was bad enough."

He crossed his arms angrily. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have split up. I'm sorry you had to go through that alone." He paused. "Are you okay?"

She waved a hand, turning her face away. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Let's get back to the ship. They want us to meet them again in three hours."

The walk was short, but for Cal it was torturous. As Obi-Wan started towards the landing pads, she felt with horror that she was going to cry, and knew there was nothing she could do about it. She blinked so fast she hardly saw where they were going, and she raised a hand casually to her nose to stem the running. She stayed a few paces behind Obi-Wan and worked frantically to clear her thoughts, but it was so hard. She felt something like fire, or thunder, deep inside her, ready to rise up and explode. She wanted to scream.

Obi-Wan grasped his hands behind his back tightly as he walked. He was angry, and he knew he needed to let it go. But the situation here was much worse than it seemed. A defective squad of clone troopers that raped girls as a fear tactic – he couldn't understand it at all. How could anyone allow that? And yet the empire had landed them here on purpose, in an attempt to force the planet's compliance. It was disgusting.

Suddenly he realised Cal wasn't behind him anymore. He paused and turned around, earning scathing glances from beings who had been walking behind him. He retraced his steps down the sidewalk for a few metres, then came to a narrow, dark alleyway. His apprentice stood with her back to the entrance, her shoulders hunched. He approached her carefully. The situation had obviously affected her even more than him.

He was hesitant to touch her, not wanting to interrupt if she was trying to compose herself. Instead, he said softly, "Cal-" and she whipped around to face him. She was crying.

"I kn-know the squad, Obi-Wan," she blurted thickly. "They were o-on Andarr. They took me for a local girl." That was all she could manage. She broke down.

"Oh, Cal…" Obi-Wan felt emotion rise in him like an erupting volcano as he pulled her to his chest. She didn't need to explain any more. Now he understood. The defective squad of clone troopers had raped her on Andarr, the planet he'd found her on, probably very soon after her Master had been killed in the Purge. She would have been hiding her identity, so she wouldn't have been able to use her lightsaber. And after seeing that recording, he knew how they worked – there would have been too many of them anyway.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tears escaped them. No wonder when he first found her she'd had just an aversion to being touched. He had assumed it was just a result of her Master's death, or her isolation in the cave, or that she had perhaps been beaten. Never had he guessed at this.

He took a moment to get control of his voice before he spoke again. She still gripped his tunic, her eyes pressed against her knuckles.

"Have you been checked medically?"

He hated to ask the question, but he had to. He thought if there was a pregnancy she would be aware of it by now, but then again, she may not. Besides that, disease was highly likely, and she needed to be immunised.

She shook her head against his chest, and he rubbed her back. "We need to get you to a med droid, then."

She took an unstable breath. "I don't want to," she said, her voice tiny.

He hugged her tightly. "It'll be okay."

Her grip on his tunic loosened, and her hands slid hesitantly around him, and Obi-Wan felt the movement as monumental. When her arms had been in front of her, she had still been protecting her body, and now she was letting go, and she was trusting him. Now he was protecting her. He didn't know if she even realised the significance, but he thought she at least must be relieved to have lifted that burden, finally.

He wondered if Yoda had known, or suspected, anything like this - all her strange behaviour since they'd met made sense to him now, and at the same time he felt very proud of her. The fact that she even survived, let alone remaining a functioning human being, was a credit to her character.

After a few minutes she regained control, and he patted her shoulder, drawing back.

"Let's go."


	17. Chapter 17

They found a med centre easily enough, and Obi-Wan explained the situation to the medic on Calraen's behalf. Then he waited outside.

The emotions he'd felt after learning the truth of what happened were unexpected, at the least. His anger stemmed from more than his desire for justice in general. He felt very personally wronged by what had happened, and he wished he could have somehow protected Cal from it, or that he could at least kill all of those defective clone troopers. These feelings were not very Jedi-like. Neither were the ones about Cal – how he just wanted to hold her close and make her happy again. More and more he felt an inexplicable desire for physical contact with her, and he didn't understand why. He hoped they could locate Master Yoda quickly, so that he could get his advice.

It was almost fourty-five minutes later when Cal emerged from the examination room. She looked very drained, and Obi-Wan had put an arm around her shoulders before he even realised what he was doing. He listened to the medic's report: there was no risk of pregnancy, and the localised damage had mostly healed on its own, but he'd dealt her a cocktail of immunisations that should ensure her health, but would leave her groggy for a few hours.

After this they went to find some food. Prices were good and his credits went a long way. He sat Cal at the counter of a café and pushed the hot food towards her. She was a little out of it, and hadn't said much since her revelation in the alleyway.

He leaned close to her so the other patrons of the café didn't hear. "Cal, I'll never let anything like that happen to you again. You can trust in that."

She turned her head to meet his gaze. He studied her eyes. They had such a depth to them… he would call them beautiful if his opinion was asked. He shook the thought out of his head as she nodded.

"I trust you," she said.

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

When they re-met with the Prime Minister, he a transport and a hundred men ready to go. They boarded almost immediately for the flight North. The plan was to locate Yoda as well as the rest of the armed forces and join in this fight with the clone troopers there. Hopefully the addition of extra men and two Jedi would make a difference to the battle, and it could be ended decisively.

They were halfway en route when Obi-Wan received a call on his comlink.

"Master Yoda?"

"Disobeyed me you have, young Obi-Wan." His tone was especially fierce.

Obi-Wan hesitated before replying, slightly shocked. "Yes, Master," he responded, hanging his head.

Yoda made him wait long seconds before replying.

"Glad I am that you did. Sending my location to your device I am. Meet me here you should, as soon as possible."

"Yes, Master."

Obi-Wan looked up at Cal and smiled as Yoda cut the connection.

Cal laughed. "I seriously thought you were in for it then, Master."

"Me too," Obi-Wan replied, exhaling in relief. He received the coordinates on his comlink, and he stepped over to the pilot to give him the directions.

The pilot nodded. "ETA two hours."

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

The transport touched down into chaos. A battle was well underway and the Jedi were dropped off along with the hundred men just behind the line of attack. The planet's forces were using a series of cliffs, porous with caves, to protect their back, while the clone troopers has blasted bunkers into the ground and were operating out of that. A forest lay between the two bases, and that was where the fighting was happening. Obi-Wan and Cal barely had time to assess the situation before Yoda was telling them to advance, advance!

Obi-Wan was pushed forward in a blast of air from the repulsorlifts of the transport at it took of for a safer position, and then he got the attention of the hundred men assigned to him.

"This way! Follow me!" he called, and started after Yoda into the forest. Cal was beside him all the way, her eyes searching ahead for any signs of clone troopers. He was vaguely concerned that this opportunity to kill clones might not be the best thing for her in the long run, but he didn't have the time to dwell on that thought. A lightsaber came to life nearby him in the throng of advancing soldiers, and it didn't belong to Cal or Yoda. It was green, and Obi-Wan strained to see its owner. Between the troops running alongside, obscuring his view, he saw a mass of black hair, but nothing more distinctive than that.

Laser fire began and he returned his focus to the battle. He led his troops in the direction of the left wing of the battle, and he activated his lightsaber and started deflecting the laser fire. Calraen fell into place protecting his blind side, and they were soon tied up in the battle trance. The assault shocked the clone troops and pushed them back. Obi-Wan found the most difficult aspect to be the fact that he was in a dog fight against clone troops instead of with them. At one point he almost aimed a deflection at one of his own men instead of the clone next to him, out of pure habit.

As the ranks of the forces closed, he and his Padawan went from deflecting fire to directly attacking the clones. The two of them cut down squadron after squadron, and all the while their forces moved forwards.

Finally the clones started taking up position inside their bunker, which was within sight. That made things a lot harder. The advance halted.

Calraen paused and looked up at Obi-Wan. "What do we do now, Master? They're all h- "

The Padawan dropped. Obi-Wan's stomach turned over. How had that happened? A wild shot, not even aimed at her. It had come out of nowhere. He yelled for cover and knelt to check how serious it was. Relief came like a bucket of water over his head when he saw it had gone straight through her arm, and missed any vital organs.

He couldn't continue now, he had to get her back to the caves. Plus he could see that the men needed to regroup; they needed a new strategy to deal with these bunkers.

He ordered the fallback.

Cal's head rolled back as he hoisted her into his arms. He corrected it gently, tilting it back to rest against his chest, before bellowing again to his troops, "Fall back! To the caves!" And he ran with the others, holding his Padawan tightly.

As soon as he reached the cave entrance a medic took her from him, and he touched her hair before turning to deflect the blaster bolts from the few pursuing clones. Almost everyone was through… he darted forward to grab the last man just as he was shot in the leg. Obi-Wan pulled him back through the entrance and a blast door slammed shut.

He supported the man until another medic came for him, then Obi-Wan ran over to the corner where the wounded lay.

His Padawan hadn't been treated yet – there were much worse cases demanding the medics' attention nearby – but at least she wasn't unconscious. He knelt beside her and reached for a damp towel. He lay it over her temple where at some point she'd been struck, just as she regained focus in her eyes.

Cal's vision focused eventually on Obi-Wan, just above her, his hand on her forehead. He smiled warmly when he saw that the haziness in her head had gone.

"Rest easy, my Padawan. We're safe for now."

"Did – did we win?" she asked thickly.

Obi-Wan sighed as he reached for her wrist with his free hand to check her pulse. "No, we've retreated. We couldn't – "

"Retreated? But we were winning!"

"Until we lost our Jedi, we were."

She frowned under his hand. "But you could have kept going – you're not injured, are you?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

"No, I'm alright. But I couldn't leave you lying on the ground out in the open, could I?"

She groaned. "You retreated because of _me_?"

Obi-Wan smiled and started undoing her belt. "No. We lost our heavy guns to a missile as well. And I was thirsty."

"Sure you were."

"Come on, help me get these tunics off, I need to have a look at your arm."

"General!" An officer approached them over the stretchers. "The enemy have withdrawn also, sir. The commander suggests one scout team be sent out to try to eliminate their missile launcher."

"That sounds good. Tell him to go ahead."

"Yessir."

Cal raised an eyebrow at her Master. "You're not going to join the meeting?"

"They've got it under control," he replied. "Besides, I have more important things to look after."

"The heavy guns?"

"You, my darling."

"Oh." She blushed, telling herself he was being sarcastic. He eased her arm out of her tunic and frowned over the wound, reaching for some bacta patches. Also, she thought, he was probably just trying to distract her from the pain.

Obi-Wan glanced at her face and sighed.

"When will you realise that you, as my Padawan, come before anything else less than imperative? I've made a commitment that I intend to keep, Cal. Unless the whole place is about to explode, my place is by your side."

She smiled shyly just as the same officer came running over again. "General! General! They've rigged the caves with explosives!"

Obi-Wan rubbed his eyes in irritation. "Here's an example. Please excuse me, Cal. I'll be back shortly."

* * *

Yep, I'm back on this story after an unspeakably long break. I'll finish it this time :)


	18. Chapter 18

The medics got to her quickly and splashed bacta and painkillers onto the wound before wrapping it up. It was a quick, rough job, but it would do. While she waited, she watched soldiers running frantically around the cave with scanners, locating and deactivating any hidden mines. As soon as the healers left her alone, she got up and followed Obi-Wan. A medic called out after her that she had to wait ten minutes in case there was any adverse reaction, but she ignored him. She knew she wasn't allergic to bacta or any kind of painkillers, since she'd had them all before. At the mouth of the cave there was a meeting – all the squadron leaders and the commanders were standing in a circle. Yoda was in the middle of it, instructing them on the plan of attack. She joined in and Yoda glanced at her.

"Now that the missile launchers have been deactivated, a valuable opening have we. Work this strategy will if all follow the plan. Calraen. Able to lead a squadron, are you?"

"Yes, Master."

"Squadron five I assign to you." Cal nodded as he continued explaining the strategy. "Three squadrons from the North will intercept the bunker while three more with the tanks will approach from this spot. Two more on each side will circle around, and catch the enemy on all sides we will. Does everyone understand?" The people in the circle nodded. "Very good," Yoda continued. "May the Force be with you."

The circle dispersed and Calraen started towards her squad, but Obi-Wan touched her arm and she paused.

"I'm fine," she said before he asked anything.

He regarded her scrutinisingly. "Just be careful."

"I will."

The manoeuvre was complicated in practice. She ran at the head of her squadron as they made a wide circle around the enemy bunker. They ran in silence for a few minutes until the other squadrons weren't visible through the trees around them. Then Calraen sensed something. It made her stop in her tracks.

"Is everything alright?" someone asked her quickly. It was the Captain of this squad, a rugged man dressed in torn camouflage gear. Cal closed her eyes and focussed. What had she felt? It was something that was important, something she couldn't afford to ignore…

Her eyes opened. "Captain, can you complete the manoeuvre without my help?"

"Well… yes, but-"

"I have to go."

"But General…"

Cal was already running. "I'm not a General," she replied, but she didn't think he heard her.

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

Cal ran back through the trees, her heart pumping so hard it competed with her footsteps. She ran in a particular direction, but she didn't know where she was going. She paused for one panicking moment when she realised she didn't have any realistic idea of what she was doing, then her instinct took over again and all thought disappeared. She continued to run.

The scene appeared before her. Two women - girls, actually - backing away from advancing clone troopers. Cal didn't even pause to think. Her lightsaber was in her hand without her being aware of detaching it, and it was alight without her being aware of switching it on. It was slicing clean through the body of the nearest clone trooper and her brain was still trying to catch up with her body. She acted on pure adrenaline and hate, and she knew it was wrong, but she didn't feel like she had a choice. Her body had staged a coup. Her brain was deposed from power. It wasn't until all the clone troopers lay dead that she paused, and then sound and feeling returned. She hadn't been aware that they had abandoned her. The red in her vision dispersed.

The two girls were half-crouched, close to the ground, staring up at her with wide eyes. She deactivated her lightsaber and put it away. Her hands were shaking. "It's okay. Come with me."

The girls were backing away from her. She wiped her forehead on her sleeve and it came away bloody. She touched her cheek with her hand and realised her face was spattered with blood. Not hers.

She turned away from the two girls, bending over to wipe the blood off her face. Suddenly she felt like vomiting.

When she straightened and turned again, they had gone.

She heard a sound behind her and turned. Obi-Wan stood there with his arms folded. His face made her begin to consider the whole situation with sense for the first time.

She started, "I didn't-"

He held up a hand. "Save it, Cal. You abandoned your troops in the middle of a critical manoeuvre. You abandoned me. We could have lost the battle because of you. "

"What happened?"

"Some have been detained, some got away. Two squadrons are chasing them."

"We need to stop them - they'll try to get off planet! Where are their ships?"

"They need to be stopped, yes."

Calraen paused and looked at him closely. "We-"

"We can't do anything unless I know I can trust you. I felt your mind before."

Cal threw up her arms. "What did you bloody expect me to do, Obi-Wan? Blast it - you just don't understand anything! I knew what was going to happen, and I couldn't let it. Not while I have any power to stop it. The troops didn't have as much need as those girls-"

"So you saved them from what? A traumatic experience, that you replaced with another?" he gestured around at the dead bodies lying on the ground. "It is not the same, Obi-Wan-"

"It is not for you to judge! You are a Jedi, not some kind of vigilante. You can't abandon your task because you see another that you want to do more. You can't abandon reason and clarity to go off, following your fears and your - personal vendettas!"

"I can't believe you're making this so black and white - it's not that simple!"

"Of _course_ it's not that simple! That's what I'm trying to tell you!"

Both paused and looked up as a roar made the air vibrate. Both ran in the direction of the sound, and within a hundred metres they came on a mid-sized cruiser lifting away from its camouflaged cover. Cal detached the grapnel line from her belt and fired it.

"And what exactly do you plan to do next?" Obi-Wan asked in exasperation.

"I'm going after them."

Obi-Wan started to say something, then realised she wasn't bluffing. Moving fast, he grabbed onto her just as she hit the button to retract the line. Both of them flew towards the hull of the moving ship. Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber as they flew, and cut through the hull in two quick strokes as they smashed into the metal. They swung away, avoiding the bit of cut-away metal that flew past them, then back again, and let go of the line, using the Force to propel themselves through the hole.

They landed in a heap on the floor of a cargo bay. Cal pushed Obi-Wan away and ran towards the doors. Her lightsaber was already activated.

"Cal, wait!" he yelled, scrambling after her. With the roar of the engine close by, it was possible she hadn't heard. More likely she chose to ignore. She ran through the door and into the body of the ship, leaving Obi-Wan to seal the door against the vacuum that would come through the hole they'd cut once the ship entered space.

Once that was done, he pulled out his comlink and dialled Yoda.

oo00OOOIOOO00oo

Cal made her way to the bridge as quietly as possible. It was a standard design, she didn't even need to stop and think about which direction to go. She just wanted to stop whoever was in control of this operation, and stop this cruiser linking up with any Empire network. She couldn't let them find out about the Jedi - it would be her fault.

She didn't pause for breath when she got to the doors. She opened them and stormed through without hesitation. There were officers everywhere, and on instinct she produced a Force wave unlike any she'd ever accomplished before. She just _pushed_ against them all, with all her strength of will, and the result smashed monitors and knocked most of them unconscious. She marched up to the highest ranking officer, standing in the middle of the bridge in shock. She held her lightsaber to his chest. "For your life, which is the communications array?" Shakily, he pointed, and she threw her lightsaber at it violently. The blade smashed through and returned to her outstretched hand. "Now turn this ship around. We're going back to the surface."

She was somewhat surprised that the man obeyed. She didn't want to think too much about it. Instead, she turned and started running again. Running, she found, seemed to focus her thoughts. It didn't give her time to second-guess her actions.

She made it to the docking bay, and to her surprise, Obi-Wan was there already.

"Cal..."

She ran past him and leapt up into a small one-man fighter. "I'm going out to make contact with the planet's blockade fleet. They can tractor this cruiser in, or at least guide it back to the surface."

Obi-Wan looked up at her. She felt some stab of emotion in her chest, but she didn't know what it was for. "You can't do that from here?"

She shook her head. "No. I destroyed their communications array so they couldn't link up with any Empire network."

"Cal, you didn't-"

"Don't worry, I didn't kill anyone. I don't think I did, anyway."

Obi-Wan put his foot on the step up to the cockpit, raising himself to her level. "Cal, wait. We have to-"

She pressed the button to seal the hatch and he leaned back as it came down. She was still angry at him. They could talk later, there was no time now.

She flicked the button for the engines and brought up the control stick. Obi-Wan stared at her searchingly for a minute through the hatch, then stepped down, looking defeated. The ship started reversing out... before she'd touched the controls. Then she saw the navicomputer screen.

"It's on autopilot..." She looked up. "Obi-Wan, it's on autopilot!" Obi-Wan jumped back on the step and put his hand to the cockpit shield. "Where's it going?" He yelled but she could hardly hear him through the transparisteel. She pressed buttons franticly, trying to turn it off, to raise the hatch, to do anything. "I don't know!" she felt panic coming up in her chest. "What if - what if -" "Cal, listen, it will be alright! I'll find you!" "Obi-Wan-" She smashed her fist against the hatch twice, considered using the force to smash it open, but knew that might start a self-destruct. Her hand stopped against Obi-Wan's on the outside. She met his eyes. "I'll find you." He mouthed it because the roar of the engine was too loud now. The ship started accelerating backwards, and he jumped off just before it left the ground. Cal watched him as the ship ascended to exit height. When it turned, she twisted in her seat to watch his form recede in the distance as the ship left the docking bay and pushed out into open space.

She turned back to the navicomputer and watched as it made hyperspace calculations without any input from her. The patch of space in front of her stretched, and the stars pulled away, and the planet disappeared behind her.


	19. Chapter 19

**Nar Shadaa**

Cal sat in the least lethal part of the cantina with her hood pulled low over her face. Being a human female in a place like this was a liability, and she was hoping to be mistaken for another species. She had picked a drink at random – she recognised none of the mixes here – and now sat with a mug of steaming grey liquid that had made her gag on the first try. She lifted it to her lips and pretended to drink while glancing around the room. She didn't think anyone would notice her, but she still had to be careful. A blaster rested against her hip, because she needed protection but couldn't risk her lightsaber.

It had taken her three weeks to get to Nar Shaddaa, and she'd been on-planet three days without sleeping. There was an Imperial presence here – more than she'd expected. Her credits were nearly gone and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up her vigilance. She would have to leave the district called the Jungle in order to sleep – sleep was too risky here – and she didn't want to. If Obi-Wan was trying to find her, she had to be here.

She was just about to attempt another sip when she heard the first explosion. She jumped to her feet, along with most of the other patrons in the cantina, and within seconds someone ran in from outside. "It's the Empire – clone troopers!"  
Suddenly it was chaos. Apparently, all the other people in the room had just as strong a desire as her not to be picked up by the Empire. Another explosion sounded, and people started disappearing through a door at the back. Calraen followed.

At the end of a dingy hall, she tumbled down some steps into an alleyway. To the left was a dead end, and to the right, clone troops were already grabbing people trying to escape down the alley. The only way was up. She leapt to a window one level up and smashed through, then scrambled to her feet and started running through an office building that spanned an entire block. She came to the other side, and took a moment to slide a window open rather than smashing it, to prevent attracting attention. She heard voices immediately, and took a glance down at the street below where a squad of about fifteen troopers were standing. In the short glimpse she caught, she noticed unfamiliar red and black markings on their armor. Their shoulders sported a stylised design of a number: 66. As she backed away from the window carefully, she heard a com unit fizz to life below:

"What's happening? We need a report," one of the men barked into it.

"There's nothing confirmed yet, Sir, we're waiting on the other squads to report in."

"Make it fast. We're here to kill Jedi, not stand around waiting for you to get organised."

Calraen's stomach dropped through her feet - they had come here to kill Jedi? Had she given herself away? Or were there other Jedi in the city?

"This is stupid," another clone growled. "Let's go kill some of these convicts instead."

Another replied to him angrily. "We didn't spend all that time training to kill Jedi just to waste it on civilians, you moron. That shit is for the shinies to handle."

Above them, Calraen's eyes were wide. They were trained specifically to kill Jedi? Another comlink burst to life.

"Jedi has been sighted – Eastern side. Provide backup, over."

"Let's move, men."

Cal waited half a minute before she jumped down into the street and followed their direction carefully. Once she rounded the corner, crowds of locals were running in all directions while clone troops were resolutely marching East across a wide square. She pushed through the crowds after them, when suddenly a white-plated hand grabbed her arm and she was forced to a halt before three clones.

"I.D. please," he said roughly, and Calraen just stared at him.

"Your I.D. – _now_," one of the others prompted, and she stepped back, making a show of fumbling for her pocket, no idea what to do. Mind trick? She'd never been able to do it on three people at once.

"I, uh – I think I lost it," she said lamely, and she saw one of them reach for a set of binders. Then, for no apparent reason, all three of them collapsed to the ground. Calraen jumped backwards, looking around for the attacker, and then a familiar face appeared in front of her.

"Master Muln," she said, relieved. "What did you-"

"My specialty," he said, grinning. "A narrowly-aimed force push. Come on, we're on a tight schedule here."

Calraen turned and followed him out of the square, through the streets, and away from the Jungle district.

"Where are we going?" she asked, but he held up a hand as they approached a checkpoint of clone troopers checking ID. It was a smaller one, only four men, but Garen strode up to them and said, "Move it! We're coming through!" – and immediately the four men jumped out of the way, one yelling angrily at another, "Move it! Can't you see he's coming through?"

Calraen hurried close behind. "That was impressive," she said quietly. Garen smiled and led the way across three blocks to a domestic flight terminal.

"We'll stop off in another city before we leave the planet – the clones should be busy enough with all the Jedi running around this district."

"What do you mean?"

"We organised a big distraction after we got spotted the first time. Obi-Wan should be back soon."

There, a rather rusty old freighter awaited them inside the terminal. Garen started pre-flight checks while Calraen hovered at the top of the ramp, waiting. Finally, Garen yelled out from the cockpit, "Here he comes!" and she saw boots hit the ramp, then the whole ship shuddered with a series of close explosions. Calraen tumbled off her feet, and was hauled up by the arm.

"Alright?" Obi-Wan asked quickly, and Calraen took him in with a glance – he looked very tired.

"Yeah."

The ramp was closing. They ran through to the cockpit as Garen lifted off and joined the stream of ships fleeing the city – behind them, the district was being torn to bits.

"I think we'll need a new rendezvous point," she commented.

* * *

"So, where are we going now?" Cal asked, following Obi-Wan down the hall. She was struggling to stop herself walking into things – her eyes kept closing.

"The troubles on Kavara are not yet over," Obi-Wan replied. "It appears there is still one small force remaining on the planet surface, but they have made it to the capital city and disappeared. It will be difficult to find them."

Cal yawned hugely as they turned into a narrow corridor. "There are four rooms for crew quarters," Obi-Wan explained, pulling on the handle of one door and manually wrenching it open. It looked like it had been rusted over not very long ago. "But we've only been able to get the heating to two of them. Here, you can have my bed."

It was indeed a lot warmer in this little room than in the corridor outside. He closed the door behind him to keep the heat in as Cal sat her lightsaber on a narrow bench opposite the single bed, which was piled with rough blankets.

He showed her how to lift a panel on the wall. "The water dispenser is here."

She nodded, yawning again as she kicked her boots off.

He smiled, and for a moment just stood there, uncertain. Then, awkwardly, he lifted a hand in half a gesture, and said, "I'm so relieved you're alright."

Cal smiled, and her hazy brain couldn't think of a reply, so she just stepped forward and put her arms around him, burying her face in his tunic. He lifted his arms around her and squeezed briefly.

"Was it difficult to get back to Nar Shaddaa?" he asked.

Cal made a noise of indifference. "It took longer than I'd hoped. It's not so easy to hitchhike anymore, these days."

Obi-Wan stepped back, and Cal turned to Cal flop down onto the edge of the bed. He tugged the door across, then paused in the doorway, his face turned away. "The Jedi code said we should hitchhike in exchange for helping people," he said vaguely.

"Doesn't really work when we can't help anyone anymore."

"We all followed the Code, and it failed us. Do you think that means it was always wrong?"

Cal rubbed her eyes, faintly exasperated he was only coming to this realisation now. "Of course it was wrong. It said to protect the Republic, no matter what – there was no escape clause for if the Republic turned bad."

He turned back to her. "I've followed the Code my whole life," he said wearily.

"Maybe that's the problem. We should have all paid more attention to our own feelings."

He paused in the doorway for a long moment, but didn't reply. Then he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

Cal collapsed back onto the bed and remembered little after her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Obi-Wan sat down next to Master Yoda. They were back on Kavara, in a small garden at the back of the government offices in the capital city. Cal had slept through the rest of the trip, and as soon as they arrived she had been commandeered by the taskforce in charge of the plan to locate the remaining clones. Obi-Wan had sent Garen with her – he needed to speak to Yoda as soon as possible.

"Too many conflicts there are inside you, Obi-Wan," Yoda said as soon as he sat down. The grandmaster's eyes were closed, but Obi-Wan still experienced the familiar but uncomfortable feeling of being thoroughly X-rayed by the small green being.

"I agree," he said, and Yoda opened his eyes.

"Such a difficult leap, it should not be. Relied too much on the Code, you did, as many others did. Now, trust your own feelings instead, you must."

Obi-Wan hung his head. "I don't know how to, Master. I can't even understand what my 'feelings' are saying."

"A child you are still!" Yoda snapped. "Make your own decisions, you can. Always be here to tell you what to do, I will not." The gnarled old stick shot out to poke Obi-Wan in the chest. "Go now. Time for your immaturity I have not."

Obi-Wan got to his feet quickly and walked back through the building, rather chagrined. He hadn't thought his question was so unreasonable. He spotted Garen sitting outside a closed door across the other side of the main reception.

"Yoda hit you, didn't he," his friend stated.

"How can you tell?"

"You looked peeved – oh, you can't go in."

Obi-Wan paused, his hand on the door access. "Why not?"

"They're getting changed – all the girls," Garen waved a hand ambiguously.

Obi-Wan frowned. "I see. The task force are all female?" He sat down next to Garen.

"Yeah, that's the plan. They'll lure the clones out somehow and then ambush them."

"Calraen agreed to this?"

Garen shrugged. "She seemed happy to help."

"And… how do they plan to 'lure' these particular clones?"

In apparent response to his question, the door opened and a stream of young women made their way out into the reception. Obi-Wan and Garen jumped to their feet in shock – Garen grinning widely and Obi-Wan maintaining an expression of disapproval. Every one of them was dressed in tiny, skimpy, deliberately provocative clothes. There were at least twenty of them, and Calraen emerged towards the back of the group.

Garen cleared his throat and Obi-Wan's expression clouded over. "Padawan!" he growled, and she turned, revealing the full outfit. Obi-Wan doubted it could even pass as underwear, but he tried not to look too closely.

"Master?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

Cal hesitated. "I'm helping the taskforce with their mission. I – thought this was what we were here for."

"Yes, but-"

Garen elbowed Obi-Wan roughly and stepped forward. "What he's trying to say is you look hot. Let's go."

Obi-Wan struggled to formulate a stern-enough response, but before he could say 'inappropriate', Garen and Cal were following the rest of the girls outside into the square. She joined the group and Garen explained quickly to Obi-Wan. "Basically we'll have some people assigned to each girl, waiting to ambush if one of the clones shows himself. I'm guessing you'll want to go with Cal?"

Obi-Wan nodded distractedly. "Yes, yes, but – are you sure she wants to do this? I don't think it's-"

"Stop _worrying_, Oaf. She's more conservative than some of the others. And do I need to draw your memory back to the attire of some female members of the Order back in the day? Relax."

Obi-Wan hadn't really noticed any of the other girls. The ambush teams arrived and the leader of the taskforce, a tall woman with long, black hair, was dividing the groups up to head off to their assigned locations. He rallied his focus and followed Cal, who was also teamed with two others, dressed in black and carrying rifles. They made their way to a marketplace, and Obi-Wan copied the others as they faded into the background while Cal made a show of browsing through the stalls.

He pulled his hood up and watched her like a hawk. With her stomach and back exposed, he noted with some satisfaction that she'd put weight on and filled back into her frame since he found her on Andarr – however, he also noticed that had filled out _other_ areas, which he really didn't want to be thinking about. He scanned the crowd instead, looking for anyone remotely clone-shaped. He knew their height and build by heart. They always looked shorter out of their armour – wait. His eyes searched frantically. Cal was gone.

Obi-Wan charged through the crowd to where she'd been, saw the alley behind the stall, barrelled around the corner, and saw red. Cal has fallen to the ground – a laserwhip around her ankle – and as he arrived, an electroshock net exploded out of the darkness at the back of the alley, snaring her where she was. Obi-Wan's lightsaber burst to life. He didn't waste any time worrying about being recognised – he just killed. Three clones, one wielding the whip, two further back in the alley. It took him less than twenty seconds. He forge-gripped the net controller to a pulp and the electricity on the net shorted out, just as the other two taskforce members arrived at a run in the alley.

"It's over. Sort out the bodies," he barked at them, and dropped to his knees next to his apprentice. The net was a primitive weapon, and he knew she was only stunned, but there was a burn around her ankle from the whip and he wished he could bring the clones back to life so he could kill them again. He made an effort to calm himself as he tugged the net away.

Cal groaned, and he carefully lifted her into a sitting position, his hand cautious against the bare skin of her waist.

"Urgh – that hurt," she muttered, coming round and putting a hand to her head.

"You're safe now," he said quietly, his voice a little ragged.

"I was safe the whole time. You were right there."

Obi-Wan didn't reply, just helped her to her feet.

"Okay?" he asked, meaning her balance, and when she nodded he stepped away. Cal ran a hand through her hair, and he pulled his cloak off and held it out to her.

"Oh, you don't think I should keep this outfit permanently?" she said lightly. Obi-Wan frowned. "Cal, please."

Her face fell into a scowl and she snatched the cloak from him, pulling it over herself. "Fine. I guess you think I should be ashamed for exposing myself so scandalously."

"No, but it makes _me_ uncomfortable."

She paused before pulling the cloak closed over her front, glancing down at the outfit one more time. "Really?" she asked, and looked up at him, grinning roguishly. "Uncomfortable in a bad way, or in a _good_ way?"

Obi-Wan deliberately averted his gaze. "Calraen, you are my _Padawan_," he said emphatically. Didn't she understand? "I can't – I mean, it's not -" He shook his head, giving up, and started back down the alley. "Come on, we ought to report back."


	20. Chapter 20

**For returning readers, the previous chapter has been altered significantly; it didn't give me enough to work with to continue. Hope you like this chapter as well :)**

* * *

After changing back to her normal clothes, Cal followed the others to a debriefing meeting where the head of the taskforce – her name was Anetti – congratulated everyone on their efforts. All the clones has been located and either captured or (in her team's case) killed, and everyone was invited to a celebration down at the cantina on the square. Cal cheered with everyone else and followed the crowd – if there was food, she was there. As she stepped outside into the evening air, Obi-Wan fell in step beside her.

"Are you attending the celebration?" he asked.

Cal hesitated. "I will, if that's okay – I'm starved."

"Yes; I need to speak to the taskforce leader. She's the head of the planet's security force and responsible for the shield," he gestured to the red shimmer above them, which was fading now with the sun. "I want to make sure the planet's defences are as strong as possible. The Empire will be coming down on them swiftly and strongly."

They followed the crowd of beings into the big cantina and sat at the bar. Cal ordered a big meal while Obi-Wan looked around for Anetti, and when he spotted her sitting down further along the bar, he stood up. "Excuse me," he said before moving down to the seat next to the tall woman. Cal barely noticed. She slugged down two drinks and a plate of appetisers in the space of two minutes, and waited eagerly for her main.

The energy in the room was high and cheerful. A band started up in the corner and several of the younger men and women immediately broke out on the dancefloor. It was only after a few minutes of observation that Cal belatedly noticed both her drinks had been alcoholic. She shrugged to herself, and ordered water, and then her main meal arrived and she focussed on methodically demolishing it.

While she ate, the few beings to her left dispersed from the bar table, leaving enough space between her and Anetti that she could hear snatches of the conversation with Obi-Wan. As Cal glanced over, noodles dangling from her mouth, he saw the taskforce leader laugh and place a hand on Obi-Wan's thigh, saying something teasingly, while her Master smiled in response.

Cal choked and struggled to swallow her oversized mouthful. She went to order another drink, but Anetti called the barman over before she could raise her hand. She focussed her hearing as Obi-Wan shook his head politely.

"…truthfully, I'm quite tired, I would rather…"

"Let me get something to sustain you." Her head turned to the barman, and Cal didn't catch what she ordered, but the man nodded and moved away. "I want to keep your company for as long as possible," she said to Obi-Wan. "I suppose you won't be staying on-planet much longer?"

"It will depend on Master Yoda's intentions..."

"You're welcome to stay longer. Perhaps you'd like to see some of the sights. Our planet is quite beautiful."

Obi-Wan smiled, looking right at her. "Oh, I've already seen some beautiful sights." Three seats across, Cal gagged. He started going on about the shield defence and she got to her feet, disgusted. She saw Obi-Wan's eyes move over Anetti's head to her briefly, and she pulled a face at him before leaving the bar.

She made her way through the mass of people to watch the podrace being screened on the holos at the back, and leaned against a wall, folding her arms. Someone came past with a tray of drinks, and she grabbed one, brooding over it sullenly.

"Hey, you want to dance?"

Cal looked up. A young man with short dark hair and a friendly smile was standing in front of her. "No."

"That alright," he leaned against the wall next to her. "So, I heard your team took out three clones today. Impressive."

Cal shrugged, eyes still on the holoscreen. "I didn't kill them."

"But you lured them, right? That was really brave."

She looked back at the guy. "How was it brave? My team were right behind me."

He cocked his head. "Well, something could have happened to them, or you could have been injured before they could get to you…"

"Oh, yeah that happened." She pointed to her foot. "I got a laserwhip burn, and I got knocked out by a shock net too."

The guy was concerned, and put a hand on her arm. "Woah! Are you alright? That's awful!"

Cal considered telling him to back off, but she glanced quickly back through the crowd to the bar table where she could see Obi-Wan sipping the drink Anetti had bought him and listening, engaged, to her conversation. She decided she may as well do some flirting of her own.

"Nah, it was nothing. You should have seen some of my other injuries," she said, grinning. The young man listened, fascinated, as Cal went through her long list of training and battle wounds, possibly exaggerating some of them, or maybe even making some up. She hadn't been in that many combat situations while with her old Master, but the guy in front of her was amazed by every word. While attempting to show him an old scar on her scalp, he reached out to touch her hair. It was only seconds after that Cal felt a firm hand on her upper arm and turned to face her Master.

"Padawan, a word. Now."

Obi-Wan all but dragged her across the room and into a hallway that led to the back rooms. He continued resolutely right down to the end of the passage, where it was dimly lit and they were surrounded by stacked crates and broken cleaning equipment.

Finally, he let go of her arm and turned to face her. "Would you care to explain yourself?" he asked, his anger barely restrained.

Cal folded her arms and regarded him evenly. "Explain myself? What did I do?" she asked, making no attempt to disguise her nasty tone.

"Don't play games, apprentice," Obi-Wan warned.

Cal rolled her eyes. "What – so I was speaking to a guy. You've got some nerve pulling me up on that – you were plenty happy to get friendly with Anetti. She was all over you!"

"She was not," Obi-Wan replied, with more composure. "Besides, you know I hate politicians. I was only trying to speak to her about the shields."

"Oh, so it's fine if it's all part of the mission." Cal leaned against the wall and folded her arms. "Well, in that case, I had a very important reason for speaking to that guy as well."

Obi-Wan snorted. "I really doubt that." He put a hand to his temples and turned his face away from her, and Cal's anger rallied. "Why do you care so much, anyway?" she demanded.

"You're my Padawan," he said wearily.

"No." She stepped closer. "That's not it, and you know it. Look at you – you're angry! You don't even know why."

"I've already told you why," he said, turning back to her. "And that should be enough for you."

Cal gestured with one hand, "No. Let me put it this way – would you have reacted the same way if it was Anakin? He flirted plenty."

"He was a boy," Obi-Wan replied evasively.

"So girls aren't allowed to flirt?" Cal asked, outraged.

"No," Obi-Wan shook his head, irritated. "That's nothing to do with it."

"I'll tell you what it is," Cal said brashly. "It's because you can't stand to see me with a guy – with any guy. Except you."

Obi-Wan frowned. "That's ridiculous."

"I can prove it."

"How?"

Cal grabbed his tabards in her fists, closed her eyes and kissed him.

His lips were soft, with the tickle of his moustache. Obi-Wan took half a step back and hit the wall, then remained there, frozen, while she adjusted, kissing his lower lip slowly. He didn't push her away. She opened her eyes, and met his, intense blue, and continued to kiss him. She moved her hands up to his coarse hair and pressed her body against him. She felt him shiver.

She was still unsure – would he push her away? Would she look like an idiot? She pulled his lower lip between hers gently, and he exhaled, and something in him unfroze. His hands found her waist tentatively, and his eyes closed, and he hesitantly kissed her back. Cal genuinely felt fireworks exploding around them.

She ruined the moment after only a few seconds by grinning under his lips, and they broke apart. He lowered his head to hers, their foreheads touching, his eyes closed, breathing heavily. Cal noticed the hard bulge beneath his belt, and stepped back, releasing him from where she'd trapped him against the wall. He let his hands drop, and took a deep breath, finally opening his eyes and regarding her seriously through the hair that had fallen over his face.

"Ca-" he started, paused, cleared his throat. "Cal, I-"

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," she cut in desperately, terrified his next words would be to forbid anything like this from happening again. "I shouldn't have done that, I know."

He opened his mouth to reply when his comlink buzzed, and he fumbled at his belt for it. Cal watched him morosely as he smoothed back his hair with his free hand, making short replies to the caller. After a minute or two he cut the connection and turned back to her.

"We will continue this conversation later. We need to get back to the ship."


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks to the people who reviewed! It really does make me happy :)**

* * *

Obi-Wan focused on calm as the ship plummeted through hyperspace towards Coruscant. He had to. The minute he let his focus go, his feelings started exploding. They were flying straight into the heart of the Empire's grip. Yoda had been contacted by someone in the Capital who was harbouring what was probably the last little group of Jedi younglings who hadn't been at the Temple the day Anakin visited to purge it. Obi-Wan hadn't allowed himself to think of the younglings at all since that day, especially not the ones he had known and taught on occasion. Thinking about that would probably destroy him. But now, hearing that there were five children, of varying ages, who had been on an excursion on the other side of the planet that day - it made his heart cry out. He needed to get there _now_. Yoda had said that in the confusion following the end of the Republic, the small group had escaped notice, and been fortunate enough to meet people who would help them. But every day they remained on that planet they were at risk of being discovered. That was why Yoda had assigned him and Cal to rescue them… His thoughts turned to Cal again and he focused on calm intensely.

What had happened last night? He couldn't figure out his feelings at all. He didn't know why she had kissed him – what interest would she have in a washed-up old man like him? He had been coming to the conclusion that she had merely done it to win their argument, and that it meant nothing more, when they had been waiting to board the ship and he saw her when she didn't know he was watching. She had been slumped on the steps outside the dock, her head in her hands, her expression as distraught as he was feeling. It hadn't meant nothing to her.

He knew they ought to talk it over, but he didn't know what to say. He didn't even know where to start. She had made it clear she wasn't willing to discuss anything, because the minute they entered hyperspace she had retired to the crew quarters and hadn't emerged since.

He watched the ETA countdown diligently. Two hours to go.

ooOO00I00OOoo

Cal emerged from the quarters just in time for their landing, and with few words exchanged, she and Obi-Wan struck out across Coruscant. The IDs supplied to them by the Kavarans had been top-notch, and though they left the immigration centre quickly, Cal was concerned at the amount of security they would have to pass back through in order to leave. She followed behind Obi-Wan until they reached the district they'd been directed to by Yoda's contact.

Obi-Wan slowed as they reached the corner of a busy shopping plaza, and no one paid them any attention as they turned to each other and pretended to be very engaged in conversation while they waited for a signal.

"We're early," Obi-Wan said. "They might not have arrived yet."

Cal still struggled to meet his eye. "Should we go somewhere else until it's time?"

"Let's wait here for a minute and see if anything-"

He was cut off as a short man clapped him on the shoulder, grinning broadly. "My friend! I didn't expect to see you here!"

Obi-Wan quickly altered his expression. "Hello, there! We just arrived."

"You must be starving – come to my place, we can have lunch."

Cal followed the two men through a maze of alleys and plazas. They crossed their own paths again at least twice, but eventually the man was obviously satisfied they'd diverted any potential followers, and led them into a building.

Once the door closed behind them, the man turned back to them. He had a friendly face, but he looked weary. "Thankyou for coming – my name is Yate. I won't ask yours - I understand the risk you've taken."

"You're welcome," Obi-Wan nodded.

"This way." Yate led them up a stairway for several levels to an apartment where they met his wife, a slight, pale woman called Rikata. They made polite introductions, her face grave the whole time.

"This is very risky. More squadrons arrived today."

Yate nodded. "Yes, but more risky would be letting them remain on the planet."

Obi-Wan smiled. "I appreciate the risk you've taken to help us. Would it be possible to meet the children now…?

Rikata's face finally broke into a small smile. "Yes, of course, you must be anxious to see them." She turned to call across the apartment, "Children? Could you come in here please?"

The door opened from the next room and five heads of varying heights filed in, and Cal smiled to see them, but was distracted when she glanced at Obi-Wan. She'd never seen that expression on his face before. The smallest child, a human boy, and the youngest of the group, looked over at the visitors, and his expression vivified. "Obi-Wan!" he exclaimed, and charged across the room on his little legs. Her Master sunk to his knees to meet the boy, and then all Cal could see of him was his messy brown hair sticking out of Obi-Wan's embrace.

The other children came over more warily. The oldest was a Togruta boy, perhaps nine years old, and he spoke to Calraen hesitantly. "Are – are you Jedi?"

"Yes," Cal smiled. "My name is Calraen and this is my Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. We've been sent by Master Yoda. He told us to bring you to the new Jedi Temple, where you'll be safe."

Another, a female Devaronian, looked up at her with wide eyes. "Will there be even more Jedi there?"

Cal's smile faded. "There are a few others, but not many."

Their hosts stepped in to introduce the children properly. Bola, the Togruta, was the oldest, and a dark-skinned human girl named Ishani was slightly younger than him. Lanora was the Devaronian, and a shy blue-skinned Nautolan girl called Jeth hid behind her. The youngest was the human boy, Tenndrin. Cal looked back to Obi-Wan, who was only just getting to his feet, quickly wiping his face on his sleeve. She saw this and took over the talking.

"We need to get them onto the ship," she said to their hosts. "Do you have any idea how to do it?"

"Yes, actually. Since you're both human, our plan should work perfectly." Yate passed her a holopad with a propaganda flyer displayed on it. "I don't know if you've heard of the Empire's movement – they don't take a kind view to non-human refugees on the planet. If we can disguise Ishani and Tenn, the customs officials won't ask any questions about two humans escorting refugee non-human children off-planet. The Empire has been contracting the job out a lot recently."

Cal nodded. "That sounds good. Is there any reason to delay? I think the sooner we leave, the better."

"I agree," he nodded. His wife turned to a cupboard to pull out some makeup and paint.

"Ishani, Tenn – let's make you into Kiffar."

All five children were distracted with the business of painting yellow lines onto the human's faces. Cal spoke to Obi-Wan in a low voice after he'd had a few minutes to compose himself.

"Do you think the plan will work?"

He nodded. "It sounds well-thought-out. If anything goes wrong, we will just have to improvise."

She hesitated, then asked, "Are you okay?"

He glanced at her, smiling reassuringly. "Yes. Tenn was…" he lowered his voice even further, "He was my favourite. I suppose I shouldn't have had a favourite."

Cal rolled her eyes. " I think it's probably acceptable," she teased lightly.

"I can't believe he survived. So many of them didn't, but just by chance he…" Obi-Wan had to pause to compose himself again, and Cal put a hand on his arm discreetly.

"Come on, Kenobi," she grinned lopsidedly. "Don't go to pieces just yet. We've got a mission to finish."

Less than an hour later, the children were saying a tearful goodbye to the couple who had looked after them for two months, and then Obi-Wan led the small group the rest of the way back to the spaceport. As they neared the big building, Jeth slipped her hand into Cal's. She squeezed it tightly.

Inside, they approached the first gate, and Cal let Obi-Wan do the talking. They were waved through quickly to the security check, and it was only here that she started to feel nervous.

"Obi-Wan," she said in a low voice as they walked. "There are more troopers here than when we arrived."

"I know."

They lined up at the scanner and Obi-Wan grabbed Bola's collar and roughly pushed him through first. The children's acting was flawless; they'd clearly learned a lot in the past few months. Lanora even broke out into convincing sobs, covering her face to disguise dry eyes. Everyone scanned through fine, but as Cal was swiping her I.D. card at the machine, she saw two troopers looking closely at Tenn's face, which was slightly damp with real tears; at six years old, he was the youngest there. As she looked over, one of them lifted a thumb to the boy's face. Cal turned to Obi-Wan, but he was already moving.

"Hey – this one's marking are fake." The guard was holding up his thumb where he'd wiped a yellow streak from Tenn's face. Obi-Wan grabbed Tenndrin away and made for the final gate out to the landing platforms, but the alarm had been sounded, and the small group drew to a halt and troopers streamed in from outside. Troopers with red and black armour, and a stylised number 66 on their shoulders.

"Obi-Wan, they're Jedi killers. This squad was on Nar Shaddaa – they're trained to kill Jedi."

Her Master put the boy down and drew his lightsaber. Cal stood on the other side of the group of children, but knew it would be impossible to defend them all, as the troopers quickly surrounded them, raising their rifles.

"Take aim!" the squadron leader shouted, and Jeth gasped and turned to the oldest of the group. "Bola!" she gasped, inexplicably, as Obi-Wan and Cal's lightsabers struck to life.

"Open fire!"


	22. Chapter 22

Obi-Wan and Cal moved frantically to deflect the barrage, but the laser fire was too thick. The children crowded in a group behind her, the older ones reaching out to Force-push some of the troopers back. Cal was proud of their effort, but knew it ultimately wouldn't make any difference. The squadron was closing in, moving closer. If any fell from a deflected shot, they were quickly replaced by another.

A grapple wire shot out from one of the clones and latched onto the ankle of the nearest child. Tenndrin toppled to the ground and was reeled away from the group.

"Obi-Wan!" he called, desperately, and Cal felt something surge in the Force. Obi-Wan spun, slashing the line, and collected all his power so intensely she could feel the air crackling. The laser bolts flying towards them seemed to slow and arc towards the vortex, and Cal turned to see what he was doing. His eyes were closed, and as she watched, he exhaled. Force exploded from his hands, blasting outwards, in all directions away from the small group.

Obi-Wan was glowing in the Force. The wave continued, its strength increasing by the second. The immigration gate buckled outwards and the equipment on the walls compressed. The clones standing in the line of fire were swept away like bugs and the other men were compressed against the wall. Cal saw the armour on some of them collapse inwards, bent out of shape by Obi-Wan's power. She had never seen anything like this before, but the words 'Force storm' came to mind as she watched.

Finally, the power subsided, and Obi-Wan stumbled forward to his knees.

"Everyone, get to the ship," Cal said, before grabbing her Master's hand and pulling him to his feet. "Come on. We have to get out of here."

His hand grasped in hers, they followed the children out onto the landing platform and up the ramp into the ship. Cal threw herself into the pilot's seat and lifted off immediately, not bothering with pre-flight checks. They dodged the traffic lanes and flew straight up, trying to break the atmosphere as soon as possible.

"How long on the hyperspace calculation?" Bola asked nervously from behind them.

Obi-Wan was standing over the terminal to her left, not even taking the time to sit down. "Twenty seconds," he replied. "We need to get beyond the satellites."

"Yeah, I'm working on that," Cal said through gritted teeth, as the ship started to shake under the strain.

"There are fighters coming," another, higher voice said: Tenn, one arm around Obi-Wan's leg, the other pointing through the viewport to their left.

"Any shields?" Cal asked, feeling sweat break out on her forehead.

Obi-Wan replied. "Rear only. It's up."

Cal nodded. "Almost there…"

"Five seconds more."

Laser fire streaked across to their left as the sky turned from blue to the dark black of space, and the fighters were closing in, and then – they were gone.

Behind them, the children cheered. Obi-Wan collapsed back into his seat, relieved. Cal adjusted the controls slightly, then turned to face the others. Obi-Wan was examining Tenn's foot for any injury, while the little brown-haired boy tried to stand still, barely containing his excitement.

"How long?" he asked. "Until we get to our new home?"

"It will be a few days," Obi-Wan replied. He addressed the others as well. "I'm proud of you all for staying together and looking after each other. You are all outstanding Jedi."

Cal monitored their progress for a few hours in the cockpit, concerned about the possibility of pursuit from Coruscant. Finally, she left to check on all the others. The three older children, more advanced in their Jedi training, were in the small living area attempting to prepare some food from the scant supplies there. The youngest two, however, were nowhere to be seen.

Obi-Wan had retired to the crew quarters soon after take-off, completely exhausted from his display of power in the spaceport, and after Cal checked everywhere else, she looked into the little room and found them. Obi-Wan was on his back, still fully dressed, and deep asleep, with Jeth hugging his left arm tightly and Tenn sprawled across his chest. Both children were soundly asleep as well; Tenn's little fist grasped Obi-Wan's tunic tightly.

Cal paused in the doorway, transfixed by the sight.

It tugged at her heart to see Obi-Wan's arm around the little boy, but it was more than that. Something about it sent shockwaves through her, and then she stumbled back a step, a hand over her forehead, as the Force practically smacked her across the head with a vision.

She saw Obi-Wan standing on a grassy hill, in sunlight, smiling and holding a small copper-headed boy in his arms. It filled her sight for a few seconds before fading from the edges inward, back to the durasteel-plate floor in front of her as she stooped over, head in her hands.

She didn't know if it was a real vision. She'd never experienced anything like that before. And though she'd never fully considered it, she knew immediately that it represented everything she wanted: the child was hers as well. She wanted Obi-Wan, not just physically, or shallowly, but for good, for life. She wanted to put that child of his own there in his arms for him, and see him smile like that.

She pulled herself away and closed the door quietly, then leaned against the wall in the corridor, returning to reality. It couldn't have been a real vision – it was probably just a product of her own tangled thoughts.

She took a deep breath. Nothing like that would ever happen. Even if Obi-Wan did return her feelings, which she doubted, they would never be allowed to live like that. They were Jedi.

Firmly, she put it out of her head and pushed off the wall to see how the other three were going with their meal.


	23. Chapter 23

By the time they got home, there had been a lot of progress on the settlement. The main buildings were mostly finished, and Cal now had her own room. She spent the following months throwing herself into the work of putting the final touches on the current buildings, planning the next stage of construction, and establishing the primary industries they needed to support themselves – crops and livestock, a small automated manufacturing system, and various workshops. She gradually got to know most of the new arrivals from the crew, and heard there was also now the addition of the Jedi Quinlan Vos, and ex-Jedi Ferus Olin to their group, but both were still away with Garen Muln, searching for more survivors.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan dedicated ninety per cent of his time to the group of children, and she didn't complain that there wasn't much left over for her – she had never seen him this happy before. She often came across him crouched in odd places, or missing his boots, and he would explain some game he was playing with them. She wondered if he had forgotten what had happened in the dark hallway at the back of that cantina on Kavara.

"So, you never told me if you made any progress."

Cal looked around, surprised. She was standing with Jacum, leaning over a table covered in designs for an enclosed greenhouse, the foundations of the building lying around them. She had been making alterations to some of the measurements, but had been distracted from her work when Obi-Wan and the group of children appeared across the grounds outside the main building, playing some game. As she watched, one of them tripped him to the ground, and children piled on top of him, laughing. The squeals of laughter reached them faintly on the breeze. The smile faded from her face as she turned to her friend and, now, informal architecture teacher.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Jacum grinned, and nodded across at the group. "Before you left last time, you told me you had a thing for Obi-Wan."

"Oh," Cal's cheeks reddened. "I did?"

"I asked if you'd made any progress?"

She put her pencil down and turned to lean against the table. "I don't know. Not really. I did kiss him one time."

Jacum let out a burst of laughter. "Good one! What did he do?"

"I don't know, I think he didn't mind it at the time, but afterwards it was just kind of awkward, and we never talked about it. Since we got back, I've hardly seen him, really. Everyone's been so busy."

Jacum turned back to the plans. "Take the night off from the planning meeting; I can fill you in tomorrow."

Cal blanched. "And do what?"

"Just talk to him. I'll make sure Breha keeps the kids out of your way."

After dinner, she encountered Obi-Wan sitting beneath a tree on the south side of the settlement, and he got to his feet as she approached, straightening his faded robes.

"Hide and seek," he explained. "Although I think they might have been distracted – I've been hiding for quite a while."

Cal laughed. "Maybe you should tip them off."

"Perhaps," he shrugged. "Actually, Cal, I've been meaning to speak to you. I haven't been giving you any time lately – I would like to apologise."

"It's alright. I've been busy too." She hesitated. "Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked quickly, gesturing to the trees. The forest was safer these days – all the bigger animals had learned to avoid their small settlement, and the well-lit buildings behind them meant you now had to walk quite far before it became truly dark. Obi-Wan smiled and offered his arm.

They spent two hours walking and talking over their activities. Cal paused now and again to take samples of herbs for analysis – one of her many projects. Deeper in the forest, she spotted something interesting growing halfway up a tree, and attempted to climb it, but failed comically. Obi-Wan hauled her up off the ground and helped her brush the leaves and dirt off her clothes. Finally he reached to wipe a smudge off the side of her face, and his hand lingered there, and Cal's breath caught in her throat. He moved his thumb across her cheekbone gently. She reached for his tabard, tugged him gently closer, and she knew he was going to kiss her. Then he stopped.

"Obi-Wan…"

He closed his eyes, shook his head, and turned away. "I'm sorry," he said tightly.

"Obi-Wan, it's okay…"

"It's not. You're still my Padawan."

Cal sighed, but didn't say anything.

They spent the rest of the walk in silence, and when they returned to the settlement, Cal went straight to the work shed to catalogue and store the herbs she'd collected. She worked until late into the night. The work was methodical and it distracted her from thinking about how much of an idiot she'd made herself today. It was raining when she left, so she ran across the grass and entered the dorm building by the south end instead of the north, which was closer to her room. This led her past the nursery where the twins slept, and she slowed as she approached the open doorway, because she could hear a voice humming softly. She paused in the dark hallway and peered into the room where a soft light fell on Obi-Wan, who was standing in his shorts and undertunic, his feet bare, one of the twins in one arm and a bottle in the other. He looked up at Cal and smiled as though he'd completely forgotten about what happened today. "You're up late."

"So are you," she replied, and hesitated. "Need any help?"

He shook his head, then paused. "Do you want to try?" He indicated the bottle and baby combination. Cal hesitated. "Err – as long as I don't muck it up."

"You won't." He indicated the couch, and she crossed the room and sat down. "Hold your arms out," he instructed, and he leaned over, passing the baby. His hair brushed her face in the movement, and they were quite close, but he wasn't distracted from showing her how to hold the bottle. Finally he sat down next to her and watched the baby with a small smile on his face.

"They woke you up?" she asked. His room was close to this one.

"Yes. I don't mind." He glanced up at her. "Were you working?"

"The herbs – I wanted to get the cataloguing done."

The baby made a happy gurgling sound and Obi-Wan smiled, shifting his position on the couch so that he could reach across her and tuck his finger into its palm. He rested his other arm along the back of the couch behind her head. Swallowing hard, she returned her attention to the baby.

"Is this Luke or Leia?"

"Luke." He tapped the blanket. "It's blue, see?"

"Oh," Cal laughed nervously. She watched Luke's eyes studying her face intently. Minutes passed in silence, but at least it wasn't awkward like before. She was starting to wonder if Obi-Wan had fallen asleep when he took a breath and said, "Do you ever wish-"

But he was interrupted by Luke spluttering. Cal withdraw the bottle, unsure what to do, and Obi-Wan reached across to take Luke back and holding him upright against his chest. She took the finished bottle across to the sink and when she finished rinsing it out, Obi-Wan was putting the baby back into its cot. She watched him settle Luke in and then followed him out into the hallway. She glanced out a window and saw the trees blowing violently in the wind, the rain now pelting down, and sighed.

"The storm's really picked up. I'd better go and cover the new crops."

"I'll help," Obi-Wan replied, stretching. "I'll just get changed."

"What were you going to say?" she asked, and Obi-Wan looked back at her questioningly. "Back there – you were going to ask if I ever wished something?"

"Oh," Obi-Wan frowned and shook his head as though to clear it. "No, nothing important."

It was the third time Cal had completed the task of covering crops against a storm, so it didn't take her too long. In half an hour they were almost finished. As she struggled with the last rope, Obi-Wan put his hands over hers, helping her tug it down and onto the catch. They caught each other's eyes as their hands lingered, and Obi-Wan reluctantly withdrew his.

"You're not abusing your position, you know," Cal blurted out to him, without really meaning to. "I was the one who kissed you first."

Obi-Wan tugged his cloak around himself uncomfortably. The wind buffeted them. "Yes. Because you wanted to prove a point," he said rationally.

"Also because I was in love with you," Cal frowned, pointing out the obvious.

Obi-Wan had started to turn away, but this made him stop, and then turn back, his eyes wide.

"You were what?"

"I still am. Obviously."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "You shouldn't joke about things like that, Cal," he said, disapproving, and turned back to the buildings.

Cal ran after him. "I'm not joking, Obi-Wan!" she called out, over the noise of the wind. He turned back. "I… I thought you knew."

He regarded her seriously, his face a mix of emotions. "We should get back inside," he finally replied, and Cal followed him miserably back up to the dorm building.

They made their way down the hallway, and they reached his door first. Cal would have continued down the hall dejectedly, but Obi-Wan grabbed her sleeve, dragged her in through his door, and closed it behind them. Before Cal knew what was happening, he had pressed her up against the wall, and his lips met hers roughly. His hands hit the wall on either side of her head, and she ran her hands down his sides, latched her fingers in his belt, and tugged him closer. He let his hands drop, and cupped her face, his thumbs brushing her cheek as he kissed her again. Then he withdrew and rested his forehead against hers, slightly breathless.

"I didn't know," he said quietly. "I thought… I thought you were just playing."

"I thought _you_ were completely uninterested." She frowned. "I should have told you sooner."

Obi-Wan stepped back, shaking his head. "No. I know you hate it when I say this, but you _are_ still my Padawan, and it's not appropriate. Even if we both do... feel a certain way about each other."

"You really do?"

Obi-Wan lowered his eyes reservedly. "Cal, when you met me, I was so… I was broken. I was determined to never let myself feel anything ever again. And now I feel happier than I ever have before. I miss my friends, of course, and I'm still angry about what happened, but I understand that something was rotten in the old Jedi Order. Perhaps we needed to start again. And I have a feeling Yoda agrees. His reaction to this will not be the same as it was before." He sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Wait. Let me get this straight. You're saying after I'm knighted, we can ask him? And he might say yes?"

"I believe there is some possibility."

"But… what exactly would we be asking him?"

Obi-Wan looked up at her hesitantly. "We have time to consider that," he finally said. Then he stood up, and added firmly, "For now though, this must be the last of it. We need to focus on training, to prepare you for the trials." He crossed the room to the door, and held it open for her.

Cal sighed. "Yes, Master," she said with some disappointment, and made her way out. As she passed him, she paused in the door frame, watching his eyes carefully.

"So, we'll talk about this?"

"Yes. But talking is _all_, Padawan," he warned.

Cal smiled. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning then."

Abruptly, Obi-Wan grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles.

"Sleep well," he smiled.

Cal swallowed thickly. That didn't feel like 'talking only' to her. "Right." She turned into the hallway and stopped short. Master Yoda was standing directly in front of her, leaning on his cane and looking up at the two of them with something more than suspicion.

"Tomorrow your trials will be, Padawan."

Cal's stomach rolled over. "Yes, Master." She stole a glance back at Obi-Wan, whose eyes were as wide as hers, and then hurried down the corridor to her room.


	24. Chapter 24

The next day, Obi-Wan stood with Yoda, watching Cal progress through the sequence of trials Yoda had prepared. It was a small section of forest that had been fitted with a basic virtual reality-program helped along significantly by Yoda's promptings through the Force. The whole system was mainly designed for psychological effect. While Cal fought off a swarm of projected beetles, Yoda glanced up at Obi-Wan, who was sweating.

"Concerned she will fail, are you?"

Cal could neither see nor hear them, though they stood quite close to the arena.

"Concerned I've failed," Obi-Wan corrected. Yoda grunted disapprovingly, and turned back to watch. Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair again – it was starting to stand on end. He was nervous, but he was also sad, and tentatively enthusiastic as well. Her apprenticeship was ending, but he couldn't help hoping that it might signify the beginning of something else.

The testing had continued through the better part of the day and he could see clearly that Cal was past the point of exhaustion. They were reaching the end now, but the final test alarmed him. Through the trees, bizarrely, he saw himself, and nearby, the group of five children they had rescued from Coruscant. Both groups of projected people turned and walked into two small wooden huts which materialised in the darkness. Then, without warning, both burst into flame.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened – he understood what the test was for. He watched Cal as she analysed the situation briefly, his heart thudding in his chest. He glanced down at Yoda, who refused to show any reaction. It was clear to Obi-Wan in a flash that Yoda knew – of course he knew – everything going on between them. This was Yoda's test, on which Obi-Wan's future probably depended as well. What would Cal do?

He watched her move towards the burning huts, breaking into a run. He couldn't tell from here which she was aiming for – they were right next to each other. The children were in the left. She _had_ to go left. Obi-Wan knew what Yoda wanted her to demonstrate – that no matter what she felt for Obi-Wan, it was not more important than the greater good.

At the last second, she veered left, and kicked the hut door in. Instantly, the whole scenario dissolved, and Obi-Wan once again observed himself, lying on the ground, apparently beaten within an inch of his life. He could see one leg lying at an odd angle, his clothes singed and shredded, a gaping wound across his scalp. He restrained the urge to ask Yoda if this was really necessary, but the Master had his eyes closed – he was listening to the Force, testing for any dark reaction from Cal. He understood this test too – she had be able to give him up.

He heard his own voice, and watched as Cal knelt beside his body, cradling his head and holding a hand that grasped for hers. He rolled his eyes. It lasted for about five minutes, then he saw himself die. Yoda's brow creased as Cal bent over the body, genuine tears in her eyes. He knew, after hours in the simulation environment, it felt real to her. Yoda sighed, opened his eyes and nodded. "Passed, she has."

The scenario dissolved. The body disappeared, and Cal looked around, disoriented, until she saw where they stood. She got to her feet, ran over, and charged straight into Obi-Wan's arms. He hugged her briefly and smiled as she dried her face on his shoulder, then turned to Yoda. She was so exhausted she was swaying slightly on her feet. Yoda nodded to her. "Kneel, Padawan," he directed, and then stepped back.

Obi-Wan took out his lightsaber and held the blade to Cal's shoulder, over her head to the other, and back again, then with a quick movement, cut her braid below her ear. She looked up at him. He smiled at her, proudly. A thousand words passed between them in that look.

"Leave us for a time you should, Obi-Wan," Yoda said. "Speak with Knight Calraen, I must."

Cal remained where she knelt while Obi-Wan left, holding her severed braid lightly in one hand. Yoda paced in front of her.

"Failed the Code has," he started, and regarded her with a piercing look. "Agree, do you?"

"Yes, Master."

"Mm. Recommend what changes for a new Code would you?"

Cal frowned, considering. "Well, firstly, I don't think the Jedi should have been so involved in politics, and the military. I think we should decide our missions for ourselves, still with the aim of helping people, but perhaps on a smaller scale. It will take a long time to re-establish our reputation. Probably longer than my lifetime."

Yoda nodded. "And second?"

Cal took a nervous breath. "I think certain attachments should be allowed. It was a mistake to ban all attachments, and not realistic. It could still be regulated by a Council, but there should be some process in place for allowing relationships like…"

"Like the one you have with Obi-Wan, mean you?"

"I…" Cal hung her head. Of course Yoda knew about it. Yoda always knew about it. "Yes, I suppose so."

"If in my position were you, do what would you?"

Cal paused to think. "I would perhaps interview both parties and try to see into their hearts to ascertain their true feelings, and their true intentions. That way, meaningless, frivolous attachments could be avoided. Then I would… maybe give them a trial period?"

Yoda laughed wickedly. "What purpose would this trial period serve?"

She felt her face starting to redden slightly. "Well, to see how they go before any final commitment is made. There would be no point in the council going to the effort of authorising a relationship, only to have it fall apart in a week." She considered it further. "It you weren't sure about it, you could put restrictions on the trial period. Like, restrict where they could go, or how often they could see each other."

"Like dating, this is," Yoda commented with a serious expression. Cal resisted the urge to laugh.

"Well, I didn't mean for it to be just romantic relationships. When I spoke about attachments, I meant all kinds. Such as Obi-Wan's relationship with Tenn."

"Hmm. And once the trial period ends – what then?"

"Then there could be some kind of official commitment. Something binding, that shouldn't be broken."

"What if broken such a commitment was?"

"I don't know. It shouldn't be."

Yoda nodded thoughtfully. "Agree with you I do. Try this system we could, with you and Obi-Wan. Speak to him first, I will."

Cal stared at him, stunned into silence. "…Really?"

"Yes. Send him to me, you will. And then wait."

* * *

The day was almost over. Cal was sitting in her corner of the drying building, a pencil in her hand poised over the paper of her catalogue, attempting to begin a sketch of the leaf sitting on the other page. Orange light was streaming in diagonally from the setting sun. She had been waiting an hour, and had been unable to turn her mind to anything for more than five seconds.

Finally, there was a knock on the door. She turned. Obi-Wan looked in, peering through the hanging bunches of herbs. "Cal, are you-"

"I'm here." She dropped the pencil and got to her feet as Obi-Wan closed the door behind him and crossed the room to where she stood by the workbench.

Impatient but apprehensive, she watched his face carefully. "What did he say?"

Obi-Wan stepped up to her and took her hand, illuminated brilliantly in the orange light. "He agreed to your idea of a probationary period. I don't know what you said to convince him…" he grinned, his eyes crinkling. "But good work."

Cal leaned against the workbench, slumping in relief. "What are the terms?"

"We're to share a room, but we must show continued commitment to our daily jobs, and _initially_ no - err, no - well, in the interests of birth control..."

Cal laughed hesitantly. "No sex? How's he going to regulate that?"

"I think it's an honour system, my love."

She had never known two words would have the ability to cause her to choke on her own breath. She repressed a hiccup as Obi-Wan dropped her hand and took a step back. "One thing remains," he said resolutely. "I must ask you for myself - am I what you truly want? I'm old, and not experienced in these matters. I anticipate being a terrible partner, although I am of course committed to learning. Cal…" he sighed. "You're young, and beautiful – you could have many other opportunities if you wished. I want you to know that if you would like to change your mind, you can, and I won't be offended. Just say the word."

Cal stared at him for a long moment. He was so unsure, his eyes wide, his hands clasped behind his back stiffly.

"I never told you, but on our way back from Coruscant, I had a vision."

Obi-Wan was mildly confused. "A vision?"

"Yes. I... I think I know how to pass it on. Would you like to see it?"

Obi-Wan nodded, bewildered, and stood still as she put her fingertips against his head on either side. She closed her eyes, and saw what he saw.

The sunlight, the grass – she now knew it was the spot between the dorm building and the edge of the crop. Obi-Wan was smiling. The little boy was there in his arms. Then, unexpectedly, the vision extended, and she saw from his point of view – herself, holding another child, a tiny baby. She looked just as happy as him, and also somehow taller - or perhaps just older. She couldn't tell if the second child was a girl or a boy, but she could see it also had a tuft of coppery hair sticking out over the crook of her elbow.

The vision faded, and they broke apart. Cal saw something fierce in his eyes. She grasped his arms and spoke to him earnestly. "I want _you_, Obi-Wan. No one else. There could never be anyone else."

Without another word, he stepped forward and kissed her. Their arms wrapped around each other tightly. She ran her hands through his hair and down over his beard. It was minutes later when they paused, drew apart slightly.

"Thank you for showing me," he said softly.

"Does it-" she hesitated. "Err – does it sound like a plan?" she asked lamely.

He smiled. "It sounds great."

* * *

**The end.**

**I'm considering a sequel to follow up on the major AU events, and to see how this New Jedi Order would fare against the Empire (and to see if Obi and Cal can make it work!). Please let me know if you'd be interested or have any ideas.**

**Also, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed, and particularly the people who have stuck with this story since its beginning - which was actually years ago now. I'm sorry it took me so long to finish it!**


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